Most of the discussion around ergonomics today is limited to ergonomics in the workplace, considering the high level of risk computer users are at of developing posture-related injuries and disorders. Most jobs today require individuals to sit in front of their computer screens all day long, and the majority of them aren't conscious about their posture.
We fail to realize and understand that it's not just the computer users who are at risk of developing health conditions due to bad posture; everyone sitting or working in the wrong posture is at equal risk.
It means everyone at your home is at risk of developing posture-related health conditions as well, and ergonomics around your home is as important as workplace ergonomics to ensure your home is a safe and healthy place for all family members.
Home ergonomics isn't as widely discussed as workplace ergonomics which is why not many people know why ergonomics around their homes are important and how they can improve home ergonomics.
This blog post is about helping you understand the importance of making your home ergonomics-friendly and how you can ensure a safe and healthy living space.
Why is Ensuring Good Ergonomics Around Your Home Important?
How often do you find yourself sulking on the couch while watching TV? How often have you seen your kid bent awkwardly forward toward their computer screen while playing their favorite game? And have you ever seen your children studying with their backs curved too much because their study table is too low for them? If the answer to all these questions is
positive, know that your home has poor ergonomics and you are at a high risk of developing health conditions like chronic back and neck pain and musculoskeletal disorders.
Some of the reasons why you must work towards improving ergonomics around your home are listed below:
Your Children are at Risk
Children are more prone to experience poor posture-related problems like back, neck, and shoulder pain. Their bodies are still growing and developing, and if they continue to sit in incorrect postures, their posture will go bad permanently, and they'll need physiotherapy for posture correction. Not only this, but poor ergonomics can also put your child at risk of migraine onsets and weakening eyesight due to excessive exposure to computer screen glare. This necessitates the need to work to improve ergonomics in your home, especially your children's study room.
You Spend a Lot of Time Sitting at Home
How do you spend your weekends? If you're like most people, we're sure you spend most of your day off lying on the couch, binge-watching your favorite shows. This means you're sitting in an incorrect posture for several hours at a stretch. You certainly wouldn't want your leisure time to cost you your health and well-being, would you? This is another reason you should ensure good ergonomics in your living space.
You Work Remotely
Ensuring good home office ergonomics is very important if you're working from home. If you want to know why, here's your answer; working in poor ergonomic conditions puts you at risk of posture-related health conditions, decreases your productivity and efficiency, and makes it hard for you to focus on work. Not working on improving home ergonomics can put your professional growth at stake, which is definitely something you would want to avoid.
How to Ensure an Ergonomic Home Environment?
Now that you know the numerous reasons why it'll be best for you to work towards making your home ergonomics-friendly, you may want to know how you can improve ergonomics around your home. Improving home ergonomics starts with first identifying all the areas that need special attention, like your children's study room, your living room, and your home office. Once you've identified the risk factors, you can start addressing them one at a time.
Below are some ways you can make your home environment ergonomic, thereby ensuring health and safety for everyone at home.
Invest in Ergonomic Living Room Furniture
Since you and your family spend a lot of time sitting in the living room watching TV, you should start here. The first thing that you should do to improve home ergonomics is to replace your living room couches with ergonomic living room furniture.
Ergonomic couches and recliners are nothing like the living furniture you've got right now. These couches feature unique designs that offer the back, especially the lower back and your shoulders, adequate support while you're sitting to ensure no undue stress in these body parts. Recliners are an even better option as they are equipped with a reclining backrest and an adjustable footrest to ensure the user is the most comfortable and there's no pressure on any part of the body. With reduced stress, the risk of posture-related musculoskeletal disorders is also reduced.
Design an Ergonomic Home Office
If you're working from home and plan to continue remote work in the future as well, consider improving the ergonomics of your home office. It's where you spend several hours of your day sitting and working.
The first thing that you need to improve the ergonomics of your home office is an ergonomic office chair like the Ergonomic Office Chair BS2. If you've been using a regular chair for work all along, you may already be experiencing pain in the back, neck, and shoulders. An ergonomic office chair will make working from home comfortable for you. These specially designed chairs offer superior back support with their flexible and breathable back rest. They also have an adjustable height and seat depth feature that allow you to adjust the height and seat depth according to your preferences so that your feet aren't dangling in the air and the seat edge isn't poking into the back of your knees.
An ergonomic work desk is also an excellent addition to a home office. Just like an ergonomic chair, an ergonomic desk also comes with a height adjustable feature to ensure the height of the desk can be adjusted according to the user. You'll be able to adjust the height of the desk just right so that it's not too low (you won't have to sit with your back curved) or too high (you won't have to sit with your back stretched and shoulders stiff). You can sit comfortably, in a neutral posture, without the stress of affecting your health in any way.
Other essential home office equipment includes a footrest so that you don't have to keep your feet on the floor. Keeping your feet slightly raised ensures smooth blood circulation. You can also install an adjustable monitor mount to ensure the computer screen is set at the right height, distance, and angle to minimize the glare.
Improve the Ergonomics of Your Kids' Study Room
As we've already said earlier, kids are more prone to posture-related health complications. Pay attention to your children's study room when working to improve ergonomics around your home.
Make sure your kids' study table is of the right height. They'll have to bend forward with their back curved if it's too low for them. The weight of the head bent forward will put additional stress on the shoulders, which can lead to them suffering from serious back and shoulder pain. If the table is too high, they'll have to sit with their back stretched and hands placed awkwardly, which again puts them at risk of back and shoulder pain. An ergonomic desk will significantly mitigate the risk and ensure your child's health and safety.
If your child uses a computer too often, ensure they have an adjustable monitor mount installed in their study room. If the monitor isn't placed at the right height, distance, and angle for them, it'll cause eye strain, and they may experience headaches and migraines. Their eyesight may get affected too.
You should also ensure their study chair is comfortable. It would help if you considered buying them an ergonomic chair. If that's not an option, you can always get them a back support pillow so their back gets the support it needs to keep pressure away.
Adequate lighting is crucial as well. Your children's study room should be adequately lit. If the room is poorly lit, it'll cause eye strain and trigger headaches. If the room is too bright for them, it'll affect their eyes too.
Closing Word
The risks associated with poor posture are the same and equal for everyone, regardless of age, sex, and gender. Improving home ergonomics will ensure the safety and health of everyone. If you really want a safe and healthy living space, you should give home ergonomics as much importance as hygiene because both factors directly impact your health and well-being.
