While reading this article at your desk, take a moment to take in the words. What's the state of your posture? Did your shoulders roll back and your core engage?
American office workers spend most of their days at their desks. It can be easy to start every morning with good intentions and correctly align your body for ergonomically sound work. Still, hours spent sitting at your desk can ultimately lead to poor posture, which can cause real health problems.
Why is good posture important for health?
In childhood, we often hear that we should sit up straight, but our spines are not in a straight line. Three natural curves make up the spine: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. Incorrect posture can cause problems by causing the curves of your spine to become too large or too small.
Chronically poor posture alters people's appearance and leads to spinal deformities, stress, and blocked circulation, which can cause discomfort in the head, neck, and back.
As per researchers at the University of Leeds, poor posture, painful neck muscles, and high blood pressure are all linked to poor posture. When neck muscles tense, the cells responsible for sending signals to the brain are not functioning properly.
Furthermore, slouching puts pressure on the stomach, giving rise to gas and bloating, and compressing the lungs, causing respiratory difficulties, especially for people with asthma.
Turning to tech for better posture
Taking frequent stretch breaks, shifting your position periodically, and exercising your core and back outside the office can help minimize the effects of poor posture. The late afternoon slump can even happen despite all that effort.
Your posture may be improved using technology if you haven't been able to do so on your own. Apps and gadgets can provide automated reminders to help you avoid the discomfort that comes from chronic slouching. You might find these tech solutions helpful:
Reclining Lift chair
Using a chair that supports your spine correctly makes you less likely to experience back pain. When a chair is adjustable to fit your body, your back will be less strained. With an adjustable riser recliner chair from Golden Technologies, you can adjust it to your perfect height from the very beginning.
Furthermore, they support your lumbar area and head, contributing to a healthy sitting posture. There are several features on riser recliners that can help you sit comfortably, including:
Supporting your spine
Golden Lift chair helps you sit in the health-neutral spine position in a riser recliner chair. In chairs that don't provide this support, you probably slouch and sit with your spine in a 'C' shape, which puts extra strain on your spine. Besides supporting your neck and head, riser recliners provide you with the correct posture.
Letting you recline your chair
A reclining chair to about 135 degrees places the least stress on your spine, reducing your risk of back pain. People who sit for extended periods will find riser recliner chairs an excellent choice since they can move easily to this position. It is easier for your spine to relax in a reclining position.
Allowing you to change positions regularly
Riser recliners allow you to adjust your position easily, so you won't be stuck sitting still for long to reduce strain on one group of muscles and joints; switch positions frequently, e.g., from upright to reclined or from legs raised to lying down. Slowly, stiffness and pain will decrease.
Tackling your pain
With Adjustamatic riser recliner chairs, massage technology can reduce pain and stiffness. The more comfortable you sit, the easier it is to maintain a good sitting posture.
Enabling you to get up to move about
The riser recliner chair allows easy access in and out of the chair. With Adjustamatic's Auto Lift system, you rise to a standing position and fall back to a sitting place when you return to your seat.
With riser recliners, you'll get up more often, which will help reduce your back pain and stiffness because they eliminate the barriers to getting up from your chair.
Lumo lift
Wearing Lumo Lift on your shoulder is a small, magnetic device that lifts you. The device gently vibrates with bad posture whenever you sit too long, reminding you to sit up straight.
MacBreakZ
With MacBreakZ, you can build your posture in two ways: prevention and recovery modes. A preventative manner demonstrates stretches designed to reduce muscle tension and promote good posture, then prompts you to take a short break afterward.
In case of neck or back pain, worsening vision, or poor circulation, you should consider using the recovery mode. The program prompts users to take ten-minute breaks periodically.
Prana
This wearable device tracks breathing patterns and posture, distinguishing chest from belly breathing, and notifies you when to improve your posture or breathe properly.
Posture Man Pat
Using your Apple computer's webcam, you can use the Posture Man Pat to monitor head height. A slouching alert is sent either by dimming the screen or ringing a bell.
What are the benefits of good posture?
Good posture reduces back pain, one of the most obvious benefits. The benefits of good posture go beyond just preventing pain.
A person's skeleton, muscles, and tendons work together to function as a unit. Maintaining good posture keeps your core muscles engaged, which will keep them strong.
Surprisingly, good posture affects your insides as well. Due to their right placement, your organs receive the right amount of blood, and no veins get tangled. Thus, digestion and circulation are improved. Moreover, your lungs are performing at their best, making it easier for you to breathe.
What are the negative effects of bad posture?
The negative effects of bad posture are as numerous as those of good posture - perhaps even more so. When you slouch, you aren't engaging your core muscles. Consequently, your posture strains the wrong muscles and tendons. Aside from pain, microtears can also occur in both over time. There is even a possibility that the condition will become chronic.
The spine is especially vulnerable to bad posture. Spines can develop unnatural curvatures when they aren't in their neutral position.
A new curve in the spine can undermine the spine's ability to absorb shocks and keep you balanced. Further, herniated discs can result from misalignment of the vertebrae.
Bottom line
Sitting is an integral part of modern life, so make sure you're comfortable and healthy. Contact Sky Medical Supplies to get Medical Supplies Lift Chairs that can relieve effective back pain. Learn how Power Lift Chairs and other options can help you get a healthy posture.