The internet is full of information about everything. Whether it's an everyday essential or a lifestyle or workplace accessory, you can find endless information on the world wide web. However, not all information that you find on the internet is correct.
While you can find relevant and accurate information, incorrect information leads to misconceptions about essential accessories. In that case, distinguishing fact from fiction isn't easy. But we are here to make things easier for you.
In this post, we bust some of the common myths about anti-fatigue mats, which make an integral accessory to the changing workplace. But before we get into the myths and their reality, let's take a quick overview of anti-fatigue mats and how they work.
What Are Anti-Fatigue Mats?
Anti-fatigue mats are specifically designed to help relieve physical stress on the body as you stand for a more extended period. In a standing position, your muscles feel strained as they have to work against gravity to support your body, allowing you to maintain an upright position. The persistent strain on your muscles can lead to discomfort, pain, and aches.
Moreover, as you continue to spend a long time in a standing position, along with strained muscles, the blood flow in the body is also reduced, eventually contributing to numbness and tingling in your legs and feet.
Over time, as the stress continues to build in the body due to prolonged standing, physical fatigue, discomfort, aches, and pains is the only outcome.
Anti-fatigue mats are designed to relieve physical stresses on the body, which are associated with prolonged standing. Anti-fatigue mats are a great workplace accessory for employees with desk jobs requiring prolonged standing. It also makes an excellent accessory for any individual whose everyday tasks involve prolonged standing.
Using anti-fatigue mats helps improve blood circulation as you continue to stand, which contributes to reducing fatigue. Moreover, using anti-fatigue mats enables individuals who are required to stand for a longer time to feel more productive and at ease, particularly when standing on hard surfaces.
Using an anti-fatigue mat while standing allows your muscles to keep moving, so there is the appropriate blood flow that contributes to reducing stress and fatigue and enhances individuals' overall health and well-being.
How Do Anti-Fatigue Mats Work?
Anti-fatigue mats work by improving blood circulation around the body. The blood circulation improves as the anti-fatigue mat creates constant micro-movement in your leg muscles. Since the surface of an anti-fatigue is usually soft, and the micro-movements are negligible, standing on an anti-fatigue mat is relatively comfortable.
Moreover, it eases pressure on your knees while continuing to create movement in your leg muscles, allowing them to be constantly active. Furthermore, the micro-movement in your leg muscles will enable you to evenly distribute pressure on your body resulting from prolonged standing, which allows you to maintain better posture and helps relieve pressure on your joints.
In addition, anti-fatigue mats provide a warmer and softer surface to stand on. Standing on a hard or cold surface reduces body temperature, which causes your heart to work harder to warm up the body, eventually contributing to fatigue.
Do Anti-Fatigue Mats Actually Work? – 4 Myths About Anti-Fatigue Mats Busted
Now that you have insight into how anti-fatigue mats work let's look at some of the common myths about anti-fatigue mats and how they are far from reality.
Myth 1: Anti-Fatigue Mats Have a Specified Life Span
Anti-fatigue mats have a finite service life, but the service life of your workplace accessory is not always specified.
Many believe anti-fatigue mats have a specified life span, but that's not true.
How long your anti-fatigue mat will serve you depends upon several factors, including the environment in which you use the mat and how well you maintain it.
Just like any other workplace essential, if you are maintaining your anti-fatigue mat appropriately, it will serve you longer than neglected mats and poorly maintained. For a longer service life of your anti-fatigue mat, you need to ensure that you keep your anti-fatigue mat clean. Make sure you remove dirt and moisture that your mat gets from your shoes regularly, so your mat is clean and continues to function appropriately. Moreover, anti-fatigue mats should be cleaned regularly, ensuring the surface remains safe and slip-resistant.
Another factor that can affect the life span of your anti-fatigue mat is its usage. Anti-fatigue mats with higher usage by multiple users are likely to have a shorter life span than mats that have limited use by a single user.
Myth 2: Anti-Fatigue Mats with Thicker Back Will Last Longer
Another misconception about anti-fatigue mats is that mats with thicker backs will last longer. This myth can significantly impact the purchase decision as most individuals looking for anti-fatigue mat end up choosing mats with a thicker back.
However, it is just a myth, and the thickness of an anti-fatigue mat has got nothing to do with how long the mat will serve you. Instead, the thickness of your anti-fatigue mat affects two mat attributes; shrinkage and movement.
The thickness of your anti-fatigue mat plays a significant role in the shrinkage of your mat; however, this attribute some only be a concern if your mat is washed regularly. It's important to know that the heavier backing of the mat tends to shrink more if exposed to high washing temperatures. So if you intend to regularly wash your anti-fatigue mat with warm or hot water, then choosing a thicker back will serve you as a good investment as it will help keep your mat in good shape for longer.
The other attribute that is affected by the thickness of anti-fatigue mats is movement. Anti-fatigue mats with heavier backing are less likely to move. Hence, they make an excellent investment if your workplace setting is a high-traffic area.
Myth 3: Softer Anti-fatigue Mats Are Always Better
If you are planning to purchase an anti-fatigue mat for the first time, you might agree to this that softer mats are always better.
But if you have used anti-fatigue mats before, you would know it's not true. If your job requires you to stand for long periods, it affects the blood flow to your lower legs, contributing to soreness and fatigue. Anti-fatigue mats support muscles in the lower legs and back and encourage micro-movement in the leg and calf muscles, which contributes to increased blood and oxygen flow into your legs, preventing or delaying soreness and fatigue.
However, a softer mat can actually cause increased fatigue because anti-fatigue mats that are too soft have higher compression deflection, which is a measure of the displacement of the mat under pressure. When the load is placed on the mat and results in too high deflection, it will not promote adequate blood flow in your legs, causing increased soreness and fatigue.
As a rule, softer mats are not always better as they have higher compression deflection.
Myth 4: Use of Anti-Fatigue Mats Cause More Accidents Than It Prevents
It is not uncommon for anti-fatigue mats to slip, which may lead to accidents. However, it is not true that using anti-fatigue mats causes more accidents than it prevents.
Anti-fatigue mats are designed to help prevent accidents as they are slip-resistant, which helps minimize potential harm. However, only mats that are made from quality materials can do so. Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat MT1 is a durable anti-fatigue mat made from top-quality material to keep your feet comfortable regardless of where you work. Find out more about Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat MT1 here.
If you're looking for an anti-fatigue mat that can prevent accidents and offer safety, then you need to choose an appropriate mat that works well with your floor surface. Anti-fatigue mats that are intended to be placed on smooth floors like wood, tile, and marble will perform best with a smooth backing surface as it helps create the most contact between the two surfaces, which minimizes friction and movement.
Moreover, for the adequate performance of your anti-fatigue mats, you must ensure that you maintain your mats properly and regularly. Appropriate care and maintenance of your anti-fatigue mats are among the best ways to prevent accidents.
Final Words
Anti-fatigue mats make a great workplace accessory for working environments that require prolonged standing. But given that a lot of myths revolve around anti-fatigue mats, making the right choice isn't always easy. Now that you already know about the reality of anti-fatigue mats, you are better positioned to make the right choice.
Find out more about anti-fatigue mats and other office accessories here.
