Ergonomic Sitting: The Best Position for Your Computer Workspace

"We spend a significant amount of time in front of our desktops. However, maintaining an irregular and disordered posture can negatively impact your mental health. To protect both your mental and physical health during computer work, follow these ergonomic guidelines.”

1. Sit using ideal posture:

Your upper legs should be flat against the bottom of the chair

Your lower legs should form a 90 degree at the knees

Your back should be at between 100 to 135 degree In relation to your legs

Shoulders Relaxed: Keep your shoulders relaxed and not curved to avoid tension and strain.

Back Support: Ensure your chair provides good lumbar support to maintain the natural curve of your spine. Sit back fully against the chair with your back straight.

Arm Support: Adjust your chair height so your forearms are parallel to the floor. Keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Use armrests if available, ensuring your arms are supported but not lifted.

Feet Flat on the Floor: Your feet should be flat on the floor or on a footrest. Ensure there is a 16-20 inch height from the floor to the seat.

2. Monitor Position:

• Ideally your monitor screen should be at least one arm away from your head to protect your screen
• The top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level.
• Maintain a distance of 18-24 inches from your eyes to the screen.
• Position the monitor directly in front of you to avoid neck strain.

3. Desk Height:

Keep your head elevated:

• Don’t bow down your head and neck to the monitor
• It should be straight otherwise this lead to neck, shoulder and back pain
• One possible way to fix this by adjusting your monitor height with your eye height

4. Take deep breaths:

• Shallow breaths can cause you to adjust unconsciously your posture
• While deep breaths will help you center your position

5. Take short breaks during your workday:

• Take short 1-2 minutes stand, stretch and walk breaks every 20-30 minutes

6. Avoid eye fatigue:

• Using 20/20/20 rules, means every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet ( 6.1 m) away for 20 seconds
• Using blue light filter glasses will help you to decrease eye strain and improve your sleep at night

7. Exercise your hand

• You can prevent carpal tunnel by pushing on joints of one hand while bending the fingers back
• As well as by using squeezing resistance movements ( e.g., squeezing a tennis ball)

8. Using accessories:

• Consider buying a riser for your monitor if isn’t adjustable
• You can able to adjust the keyboard by adjusting the tilt

9. Room light position:

• Light should be in front of your computer
• Back light create glare on the screen which causes eye strain

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References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU_AXrvQjpo&ab_channel=AliAbdaal

https://www.wikihow.com/Sit-at-a-Computer