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Thursday, April 14, 2022
Do Standing Desks Help Productivity?
Through the years, standing desks have become a popular option for workers, children, and students whose daily routine requires them to remain sedentary. Unfortunately, prolonged sitting increases the risks of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, prolonged hours of sedentary behavior can be detrimental to your mental health, slow your metabolism, and increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries.
While there are many ways to increase standing time, one way to promote reduced sitting is a standing desk. Not only can they help decrease the risks that come with prolonged sitting, but standing desks can also boost productivity growth, foster labour productivity growth, increase focus and cognition, and keep you active.
Are Standing Desks Good for Productivity?

Yes, standing desks can help improve productiveness. According to a study, sit-stand desks increased subjects’ factors of vitality in work engagement, and self-assessment of their performance rose.
However, like all good things, standing while working is best in moderation. In other words, studies have always emphasized that prolonged sitting can increase adverse health risks, but, at the same time, prolonged standing can lead to risks as well.
Let’s discuss the effects of prolonged sitting and prolonged standing further.
Effects of Prolonged Sedentary Behavior
Prolonged sedentary behavior can lead to:
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High cholesterol
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Increased risk of cardiac death
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High blood sugar
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Obesity
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Increased possibility of diabetes
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Some forms of cancer
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Shoulder stiffness
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Neck pain
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Lower back pain
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Mental health issues
Effects of Prolonged Standing
On the other hand, prolonged standing can lead to:
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Lack of blood from legs veins to heart
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Musculoskeletal pain
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Lower back pain
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Foot pain
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Neck and shoulder discomfort
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Dizziness
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Carotid artery disease
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Varicose veins
This is why many recommend sit-stand desks to increase efficiency. A sit-stand desk is height-adjustable, allowing people to rest and stand as they wish.
Does Standing Boost Productivity, According to Science?
According to scientific studies, increased standing time can lead to increased productivity. A study of call center employees who were also standing desk users resulted in productive improvements and improved mental focus for extended periods. Standing desks are just one method used to reduce daily sedentary lifestyle behavior for long hours and, thus, improve living standards. Here are some ways that standing can help.
Reduced Health Risks
With prolonged sedentary behavior comes higher risks of cardiac disease and diabetes. In general, giving your body a break from sitting can help reduce these risks, specifically if you spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer. Any variation of a standing activity will help, and while using a sit-stand desk does qualify as exercise, they can help reduce sitting time.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children and young adults between the ages of 6 and 17 should spend at least one hour a day engaging in physical activity.
Studies on the effects of reducing prolonged sedentary behavior with children in primary school showed improvements in a child’s overall health, self-esteem, and social behavior.
While everyone should commit to at least an hour of physical activity a day, most children, in particular, have heaps of energy that need to be burned off. A study involving a primary school in Ludwigsburg, Germany, advocated for installing standing desks in classrooms, accompanied by instructors' motivation during lessons to decrease sedentary time.
Decreased Pain

The leading culprit of discomfort from prolonged sitting is reports of lower back pain. While practicing good posture can relieve lower back pain, it’s not all that comfortable, if we're being honest. Reducing sedentary time by engaging in various standing activities like yoga, stretching, or walking can undoubtedly help musculoskeletal pain, especially chronic pain.
By reducing physical pain, it could help your body and brain be more present and engaged in work, school, or meetings. Another study using 60 male German college volunteers found that adjustable height workstations reduced overall complaints of musculoskeletal discomfort and increased employee productivity over a three-week period.
Increased Energy
Another issue with prolonged hours of sitting is low energy levels. Low vitality levels cause us to feel apathetic, lethargic, and fatigued. These effects encompass the feeling many office workers consider brain fog. Luckily, more standing can reduce these factors by increasing blood flow, which, in turn, can improve work engagement and performance satisfaction and instigate overall changes and benefits when it comes to productiveness and well being.
A study using customer care workers in a telecommunications company in Sydney, Australia, found that workers felt they had better-sustained vitality levels throughout their workday when they were given height adjustable desks. When physical capital and the overall production process can increase productivity, the employed persons produce more value and critical thinking during their hours worked, not to mention benefits such as better health outcomes and less physical discomfort.
Improved Mood
Standing desks can improve your mood because of the increased blood to your brain, reduced back pain, and better-sustained vitality levels.
Research shows that standing desks positively affect workers, children, and students. For example, standing desks increased overall mood and energy levels and reduced feelings of tension, confusion, and depression for employees. While these effects of standing desks aren’t measurements of how productive employees are, they certainly signal efficiency improvements in overall labor statistics.
While this research of sit-stand desks for employees, children, and college students resulted in a positive reduction of factors associated with prolonged sedentary behavior, the effects on growth remain unclear from the studies above. This is because measuring or attempting to track an increase in productiveness is difficult.
However, a study by Texas A&M University did find that, over a six-month period, adjustable standing desks made workers 46% more productive than those with seated desks. The researcher's method of employee productivity measurement was based on the output produced. Specifically, the productivity measured was from the number of successful calls per hour worked.
Do Standing Desks Help Focus and Cognition?
On a national level, standing desks and cognition may help focus and cognition if users use them properly for short and long periods. For example, someone with a sit-stand desk will reduce their sedentary time, but they may not reap the benefits if they’re standing improperly. Throughout the day, a standing upright position and decreasing excessive sitting may only mean overall health improvements if related ergonomic adjustments are made, such as the use of a monitor arm, an ergonomic office chair and anti-fatigue floor mat.
By improper standing, we mean poor posture. Poor posture could worsen effects associated with prolonged standing and, thus, not produce productivity improvements of focus and cognition.
Children are an excellent example of this, as they are more likely to lean and slouch on a standing desk. While the effects of increased cognitive function are uncertain, another academic study by Texas A&M did find that standing desks improve cognitive function.
Ranjana Mehta PhD., an assistant professor in the Department of Environment and Occupational Health at Texas A&M, used four computerized tests focusing on skills of time efficiency, memorization, reading comprehension, problem-solving, and thought organization.
The university found that standing desks “improved executive function and working memory capabilities… [and] changes in corresponding brain activation patterns.” In addition, reducing sedentary time improves focus and cognition by increasing the overall circulation of blood, more oxygen, and nutrients sent to the brain.
Another study found that, in general, standing can enhance attention and cognition. The study used the Stroop Color and Word Test, the cognitive test that asks participants to say the typed out word (that is a color) instead of the color of the word.
They found that participants had slightly quicker responses when standing rather than sitting.
Using a standing desk can help focus and cognition because standing not only requires more physical exertion than sitting, but it activates the brain to contract muscles and ensure the body remains balanced with the right standing height of the desk.
Do Standing Desks Make a Difference?

Yes, adjustable sit-stand desks can make a real difference in comparison to a traditional desk. For one, using a standing desk changes your daily living standards because it lets you decide when to stand and when to sit. Since prolonged sitting and prolonged standings both result in adverse health outcomes, you’ll have to determine the best times to sit or stand for you.
Studies have long discussed the adverse effects of prolonged sitting, so a sit-stand desk is one way to reduce the risks associated with such things as long as you're using a standing desk correctly. Schools and offices both have a work environment where people engage in prolonged sedentary behavior for over 5 per hour a day.
The government should consider creating incentives for workers using standing desks to boost public health. These incentives can help increase overall productivity. Based on the results, management can perform a productivity analysis to determine if there's an overall productivity increase when it comes to using the right desk and whether installing standing desks is worth the increase.
When people spend more time standing, they become more productive in general. For students, productivity growth is the key to success. For office jobs, encouraging high labour productivity levels for employees results in more output, higher energy level, better management practices, and overall productivity improvements.
Lastly, when people experience less muscular pain, brain fog, tension, and fatigue, they become better performers, more engaged, energetic, satisfied, and, most importantly, happy. Get health benefits like these when purchasing a sit stand desk from Desky and begin to add activity into your office day - let's move towards a healthier lifestyle!
source https://desky.com.au/blogs/news/standing-desks-help-productivity
What Happens If Your Desk is Too High?
Whether you work in an office or at home, spending time at a desk is part and parcel of many careers these days. Prolonged sitting is tied to a range of health issues, including musculoskeletal disorders, neck cricks, weight gain, and heart conditions.
How is it possible that standing desk height could play such a massive role in overall health? Read on to learn more about how a height adjustment could change your workday.
Is It Bad If Your Desk Is Too High?

Yes, it is bad for your body if you work at a desk that’s too high. You could notice a range of issues related to your body working too hard.
Consider how your body reacts to a desk that’s too high. You have to raise your arms to work on the desktop, which draws your shoulders up into a shrug. That creates strain across the lower back, upper back, shoulder blades, and neck.
Now, think about how your arms and hands move when you shift between activities, like typing or maneuvering the mouse. The chances are good that your limbs end up in unnatural positions that create tension in the muscles and stress the joints. Do you feel those aches and pains at the end of the day?
What happens after a week or a month? There’s a good chance that you could end up seeking professional medical advice to relieve your pain all due to your desk height. Your doctor might suggest physical therapy or exercises to offset the impact, but it might not be enough.
Is It Better To Sit Higher Or Lower At A Desk?
Neither option is ideal. Sitting too high or too low can encourage slumping, stress the shoulder muscles and arm muscles, and permanently affect your posture. If you have no choice in desk or chair, there are a few steps you can take to find relief.
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Try raising or lowering your chair to a proper height.
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If you need to raise your seat, incorporate a footrest so that you can keep your feet flat and reduce leg strain.
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Adjust your monitor so that it’s at eye level. You might need to set it on a riser, but it can reduce neck pain and strain.
Don’t forget to address your desk setup. If you frequently make calls and your phone is at the far end of the desk, then you might want to move it closer to you. It’s also a good idea to store some rarely used items under your desk or in nearby drawers to free up space for the essentials.
Why Are Most Desks Too Tall?
Did you know that the standard height for office desks is 76cm? That means the standard desktop is at least 15cm too high for a 152cm tall employee. Even if that’s understandable, it might surprise you to learn that a 76cm desktop is too high for a 187cm tall employee.
It’s not as easy to determine why the standard desk height is so tall, but some people posit that it has something to do with money and convenience more than worker performance and health. Of course, it could be that manufacturers are just now catching up to our understanding of ergonomics.
If you have the option to buy a new desk, you can now consider a height adjustable desk or a standing desk. Plus, you have a selection of ergonomic chairs and adaptive devices, like monitor arms to move screens into optimal positions. These advancements mark an investment in our overall health and opportunities to correct height issues to accommodate a neutral posture.
Is My Desk Too High For Me?
If you experience neck pain and shoulder pain after sitting for long hours at your desk, it might indicate that your desk is too high. To check your current workstation, sit at your desk and assess the setup.
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Your feet should be flat on the floor or footrest with your knees at a 90° angle.
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Relax your arms with your elbows near your core at a 90° angle.
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You should have straight wrists, a neutral posture, and the keyboard set at arm’s length so that you don’t lean forward.
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Keep your shoulders relaxed and not hunched forward to create a sunken chest.
You should be able to maintain this position for all work-related activities without contorting your body. If you notice your elbows dipping to relieve wrist pain, you might need to address your desk height
How High Should Your Desk Be?
Calculating the right height for your desk is not complicated and could save you a lot of pain. It might help to have some help, but you can do it on your own. There are six measurements to consider when creating an ergonomic workstation.
Back Support
Sit in your office chair with your buttocks all the way to the back. Ideally, your chair should have some cushion to support the lower back while supporting the spine’s natural arch. If your office chair doesn’t have this support, adding a lumbar pillow can reduce the stress on your back and prevent your shoulder blades from slumping forward.
Elbows
To keep your forearms parallel to the floor, your elbows should remain at a 90° angle. Your hands and upper arms should rest comfortably on the desktop to reach the keyboard and mouse without straining your elbows.
Arms and Shoulders
It’s easy to get your elbows aligned and figure everything is set, but that’s not the whole story. Armrests play a role in posture and supporting your shoulders so that you don’t slump forward. When resting your forearms on the armrests, you should notice that your shoulders raise up to reduce strain on the neck and shoulders.
Hip to Knee
Your knees should extend slightly off the edge of the office chair. To determine the ideal height, you should be able to slide your fingers beneath your thighs at the front end. If it’s too tight or you can fit more than your fingers beneath your legs, then you need to adjust the desk, chair, or both.
Lower Legs
Sit all the way back in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Can you pass your fist between the front of the chair and your calf? If not, you might need to add a cushion to the back of your chair or find a new one with a shorter seat.
Eye Level
Once you are comfortable in your chair with all of the above adjustments in place, it’s time to consider the monitor. When you look at the computer screen, your eyes should settle in the center so that you don’t have to tilt your head at all.
Raising the monitor with a riser or monitor arm is an easy fix. If the monitor screen is too high, you might need a new desk that’s lower or has a shorter base.
What Do I Do If My Desk Is Too High?

You might need to spend prolonged periods at a desk, but that doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable doing it! Office workers don’t have to switch careers to find relief, but they might need to adjust their workstations to achieve their ideal desk height.
Make Adjustments
If you can’t pick up a new desk, change your existing setup. There are several options to raise or lower your existing workstation or gear to reduce strain on your body.
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Add blocks beneath the desk legs to raise the entire desk. You can also add blocks, books, or a riser to lift the screen to eye level and reduce neck strain related to looking down.
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If the standard desk height is too tall for you, try cutting the legs down. Depending on the type of desk, you might be able to find shorter desk legs to achieve the ideal height.
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Adjust your chair height to work with your desk. It might involve adding a footrest to keep your legs and feet in line, but it can simulate height adjustment.
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Move your monitor closer to you. Some desks are too deep to accommodate comfort for an entire day, and your screen should never be more than arm’s length away from you.
Don’t forget to pay attention to lighting. Proper lighting is just as important as having an ergonomic chair or lowering a desk that is too high.
Enhance the Existing Work Station
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If you can’t alter your desk, try enhancing your workstation. Of course, this might involve purchasing your own items, but it could have a massive impact on your well being.
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Address your mouse and keyboard arrangement. You might need wrist support or a drop drawer that brings your keyboard and mouse down to an appropriate level. Even setting your keyboard in your lap is preferable for maintaining proper elbow height.
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Pick up an ergonomic chair or at least one that has multiple adjustment options so that you can create a comfortable setup.
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Monitor arms can offset the need for height adjustable desks. They are typically easy to attach to any desk and allow you to move your monitor to the correct height.
Anything you can do to minimize reaching and maintain a proper sitting position while you work can help.
Consider Purchasing a New Desk
It might be in your best interest to purchase a different desk. There are several ergonomic desks to choose from, including adjustable height desks and standing desks. Both options allow you to set the desk height and take a break from sitting.
Standing Desks
Switching to a standing desk could reduce risks related to prolonged sitting. You can easily change position while maintaining an appropriate desk height without worrying about related health issues.
Working in a standing position burns more calories and can improve your energy levels. Plus, standing can reduce back pain tied to sitting for long periods.
It’s also easier to set the proper desk height when using standing desks. With a standing desk, you only have to address shoulder blade position, elbow angle, and keep the wrists straight. You don’t even have to worry about finding a comfortable chair!
Adjustable Desks

Standing positions offer you a host of benefits, but some days sitting is preferable. A height adjustable desk, sometimes known as a sit stand desk, gives you the best of both worlds. They allow you to split your sitting and standing time throughout the workday or week.
Some people might cringe at the idea of a sit stand desk for fear of constantly adjusting the desk height, but modern versions make it easy to get the right desk height. While you might not want to make it an hourly habit, you can make the shift as needed.
If you want a standing desk, you have plenty of options, including narrow pedestal standing desks for small spaces that fit almost anywhere. You can even find L-shaped height adjustable desks to slide into corner spaces.
Having the option to change position based on your workflow and how your body feels is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health. Choosing a height adjustable desk or standing desk is an investment into your long-term health.
Adjust Your Desk To The Perfect Height With A Standing Desk
Though office ergonomics is an evolving field, it’s clear that the standard desk height doesn’t work for most people. It’s easy to buy ergonomic desks with ergonomic chairs and expect that to suffice, but many workers still need to adjust for improper desk height.
When your desk is too high, it triggers a chain reaction in your body that impacts your health. It might sound a bit melodramatic, even impossible, but finding the ideal desk height and sitting ergonomically at your desk could improve worker performance and reduce the impact of sitting all day.
Working at a standing desk could be the best thing you do for your body. It relieves the pressure on your spine and alleviates tension and pain throughout your body. Plus, it’s much easier to find the proper desk height with a standing desk. Have a look at Desky's range of high-quality sit stand desks and purchase your new desk today.
source https://desky.com.au/blogs/news/what-happens-desk-too-high
Your New Favorite Standing Desk - That's Desky!
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