You are probably at this article because you want to set up a good home office that does not compromise your health as well as your productivity. The main thing in a workspace is a desk. There is no need to get confused between a sitting desk, a standing desk, and a height-adjustable desk. It is because among the three height-adjustable desks are the best option. Here are the complete details regarding why you should choose a height-adjustable desk for your home office.
What is a Height-Adjustable Desk?
A height-adjustable desk is something that gives the perks of both sitting and standing. As the name implies it can be adjusted according to your need and you can alternate easily between sitting and standing.
Reasons You Should Consider Buying One
Height-adjustable desks give a lot of benefits in a workspace. While building your own office at home, you must consider the following gains:
Improves Posture
Slouching, bending forward in an inappropriate way, and sitting at the same place for a long time are among the wrong postures commonly observed when sitting desks are used extensively. These postures put a lot of weight on your neck and back causing strain and unbearable pain. The more you slouch or bend, the more are the chances of getting your neck and back hurt. To prevent these injuries, consider buying a standing desk. This desk allows you to work in a neutral position resulting in no pain, no injuries, or strain on the neck and back. Moreover, sitting can cause contact stress and degenerate soft tissues. Standing can help with this too by allowing you to alternate between sitting and standing.
Improves Blood Circulation
When one sits for prolonged periods of time, veins experience great pressure. It can lead to veins retaining the blood resulting in varicose veins or in the worst case, the blood might clot resulting in deep vein thrombosis. Both the conditions result in hindering the proper blood circulation in the body. The clots sometimes travel to the lungs and heart worsening the condition with complete blood blockage. The person becomes susceptible to heart attack and strokes. Standing more can allow the blood to flow properly. There is no pressure on veins and hence no complications.
Reduces Risk of Diabetes
A sedentary lifestyle is often associated with spikes in blood sugar levels. If not taken care of, the condition can soon result in type 2 diabetes. It can be controlled by upgrading your lifestyle and using a standing desk. A study was organized to observe the effects of standing on blood glucose levels. Amazingly, the results were positive. 23 obese office workers undertook the observation in which they alternated between sitting and standing every 30 minutes. They were found to have lower glucose levels than their fellow workers who worked for the same hours while sitting.
Reduces Weight Gain
Sitting can add extra pounds to your weight as you are consuming more calories than you are utilizing. The core reason is the lack of physical activity. Though standing cannot reduce your weight and does not lower your calories much as it is evident from a study that showed that standing loses only 8 more calories than sitting does per hour. But the good news is that standing can help you not gain extra weight as it allows more movements than a regular sitting desk will. If you really want to lose some weight, you can start practicing some stretches and less strenuous exercises at work. Exercising can be challenging for employees in an office but you can do it very conveniently in a home office.
Boosts Productivity
Not only your physical health but standing desks also care for your mental health. We know a healthy body has a healthy mind. The same goes here. Standing desks can improve your focus at work by relieving all the pain and discomfort caused by prolonged sitting. In this way, standing desks do pay for themselves by boosting your productivity and helping you in completing your tasks on time. After using standing desks for some time they can be the main drive behind your massive revenue.
Gives Aesthetic Look to Your Office
Standing desks are available in a variety of designs and colors. You can choose the one that suits your taste to enhance the beauty of your home office. Gone are the days when you had to stick to the same traditional style and color. Your home decor is the reflection of your personality and taste so you can set your office up by what you like the most. If you don't like the designs available in the market online you can order a customized one. Besides the desk, you can also set up your office according to your customized design.
Is Buying a Height Adjustable Desk for Home Office Necessary?
Whether you really need a height-adjustable desk for your home office or not really depends on your need and the nature of your work. If your work is quite extensive just like a regular office employee and you have to work for long hours then you should not give it a second thought. It is because prolonged sitting can cause numerous health disorders and you should prevent them at any cost. Even if you don't have too much workload and just need to check out your emails and do some small tasks from time to time you still should consider buying them. Coming to your working desk and doing your small tasks while standing is way more convenient than sitting and being careful of your posture.
How to Use a Standing Desk in the Right Way?
Buying an expensive standing desk won’t help you if you don't know how to use it in the right way. Maintaining a good posture is also important while standing. First of all, make sure the desk is height adjustable so that you can elevate or lower it as per need as prolonged standing is as bad as prolonged sitting. Secondly, the height of your screen matters a lot. It should be at eye level so that you have to neither lower nor elevate your neck for seeing the screen. Keep your elbows at an angle of 90° to the tabletop. The wrist should be at 180° to the forearm. Move one leg a bit forward and bend it to get a comfortable posture. Shift your weight equally between both legs so that neither of them is tired at the end of your work. To aid your standing posture you can use some accessories including an anti-fatigue mat and a standing desk stool. The former protects your feet from the hard floor preventing them from getting tired whereas the latter allows you to work in a neutral posture supporting your spine and back.
Conclusion
Among the types of desks available out there, height-adjustable desks are the best option for your home office. It is because both prolonged sitting and prolonged standing are hazardous for your health. These desks prevent a number of diseases and keep you in a good health. They also boost your productivity by improving your mental health. You can prevent injuries from poor posture as maintaining posture is easier while standing than sitting. Last but not the least, you can use a standing desk for boosting the aesthetic look of your home office.
