Obviously the work in front of a PC is not comparable to traditional manual jobs but working on a computer isn’t exactly the healthiest activity there is and its negative effects should not be underestimated.
Let’s see together in this guide what can we do to stay healthy in front of the PC and avoid back, eye, circulation and hand problems, which are the parts of the body most exposed to office work problems.
READ ALSO: Protect your eyes in front of the PC
1) Monitor the time spent in front of the PC
First of all it is important to know that being in front of the computer is a harmful activity if continued for long periods. While sitting, the blood does not circulate as it should, the back undergoes constant stress and you also end up gaining weight because you burn few calories and eat junk.
To avoid health risks, it is important to sit well and never for too many consecutive hours. To stay fit it is very important to take breaks of at least 10 minutes every hour. Walking and stretching your legs during breaks will help reduce the risk of health damage.
In another article some useful programs are reported for plan breaks, rest your eyes and mind just as it is possible to take advantage of the break to do fitness, using the quick methods seen on best online fitness and gym exercise sites.
2) Find the correct location to write to the PC
An incorrect position while writing on the PC causes pain, as well as repetitive movements. Poor posture is not necessarily a consequence of sitting but a problem that depends on all daily activities.
Typical consequences associated with poor posture while working on the computer are back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain, often resulting in headaches. In addition to frequent breaks, we can adopt a healthy posture at any time of the day, as seen in our guide on like sitting in front of the computer so as not to tire your back and eyes.
3) Rest your eyes often
Looking at a bright screen for hours can lead to eye fatigue and eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, burning, itchy or watery eyes, and temporary visual disturbances. Fortunately, eye strain is rarely a lifelong problem so symptoms can be prevented or treated easily.
The classic remedies are to use a good quality screen and look at the monitor from the right distance (at least 1 meter). Another very good rule to follow to rest your eyes is the rule of 20: every 20 minutes of activity in front of the screen, we look at an object 6 meters away for 20 seconds.
To reduce eye fatigue, we invite you to also read our guides on how protect your eyesight from computer and mobile screens, how to activate dark mode on windows or how to activate the dark theme on all sites.
4) Avoid being alone too long
The loneliness of computer work and the fact that the brain always remains engaged can provoke anxiety and depression. Computers are very effective tools for working more in less time, for communicating with everyone, relatives and friends and even people we would never otherwise hear.
On the other hand, being alone for many hours or days in front of the computer takes away sleep and can lead to isolation, tension in the muscles, headaches and in general signs of stress, depression or anxiety. Remedies for these problems are not to go to the computer at night, of seek real social interactions and not just virtual ones, to also eat with friends or colleagues drink plenty of water and still take frequent breaks.
If we often work with Zoom we get into the habit of communicating with a person outside the work group, talking to her in chat during breaks or after interrupting the live broadcast; to make everything much more real and less virtual we organize a real work break, going to some nearby bars or clubs and meeting live.
In the absence of people to talk to, we can always try app to chat anonymously with new people at random or with the free videochat with strangers.
Conclusions
This article wants to make everyone aware of health problems caused by computer work, which can be avoided by making small changes to one’s habits, overcoming laziness and trying to take frequent breaks without being a workaholic at all costs. Ultimately it’s all about priorities that for some people, those who work too much or spend too much time on Facebook or playing online games, it’s time for a change.
On the same topic we can also read our guide on how to create one smart working station to work from home on the PC more comfortably. If we work from home it can be very useful to learn how to turn on the PC remotely so as to bring the office into the house without having to use uncomfortable desks.