The Health Benefits of a Sit-stand Desk

With the widespread acceptance that making ergonomics swaps has many benefits in the workplace, more and more people are embracing changes to the norm. Ergonomics is the discipline concerning human interactions within a system, namely the work environment. The aim is to reduce or entirely avoid pain and increase efficiency and comfort.

What is a sit-stand desk?

You may have heard the term sit-stand desk being bandied about in regard to ergonomic swaps (they can also be referred to as height-adjustable desks). Before their advent, the need to raise a laptop was achieved by stacking up a pile of books, producing a similar, but temporary and faffy, result. Now, with sit-stand desks, the height can be adjusted at a whim with the same level of customisation, but maintaining stability, rather than the precarity of the books, and allowing you to alternate between sitting and standing with ease with the help of hydraulics to lift or lower the desk platform.

All of this is to encourage good posture and keep the top of your monitor at eye level, as recommended; this counteracts the instinct to hunch over your desk resulting in “tech neck” and pain.

Why should I consider a sit-stand desk?

Choosing this kind of desk gives you flexibility, transforming to suit the demand of the task; standing is simply not practical for every task– this is different for everyone, and understanding whether you prefer to video conference, reply to emails, or edit a document while sitting or standing is a matter of trying it out and finding a balance that suits you and your work.

What are the health benefits?

There are many benefits of interspersing your sitting with standing. These may include:

· Reducing the pressure on your spinal discs, which helps alleviate the pain in your shoulders, neck, and back, one of the most prominent complaints of those who are sitting all day.

· Reducing the incidence of blood sugar spikes, which are particularly common after lunch. Sedentary sitting after meals is linked to a huge increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

· Increasing your metabolic health, which reduces the risk for obesity and heart disease.

· Improving circulation– when we move, we strengthen our leg and core strength and our balance. If we sit for prolonged amounts of time, blood flow slows to our extremities (think about being on a long flight).

Though there aren’t extensive scientific studies just yet, but anecdotal evidence strongly supports the use of sit-stand desks in its benefits to health, if done judiciously; though the implementation of standing into your routine, standing too much negates its positive effects. Standing still for more than two hours a day can increase your risk of orthostatic circulatory diseases, but it is the stasis that is the issue– a static posture, whether sitting or standing, can increase the risk of blood clots.

How long should you stand at a sit-stand desk?

Not too long! The goal is to work more dynamically and lessen the time spent static. Spending one hour standing to every two hours sitting is ideal, but it’s important to listen to your body and find a routine that works for you and makes you feel good.