Ergonomics For Programmers
We programmers spend countless hours coding and working on crazy ideas on our system. The human body is not made for sitting with practically no major movements. Also, if our sitting postures are incorrect, it can lead to serious issues somewhere later in life. Due to these reasons, we must keep this subject a priority. This article will suffice the basics of your ergonomics.
Disclaimer: This article aims to make people aware of basic ergonomics so they can figure out creating their personalized space. If you are suffering from any physical health issue, you must consult your physician first.
1) Avoid Laptop if Possible
Laptops are not so good for body posture as their primary reason for creation was portability.
When you keep your laptop on your table and work, your neck has to bend down to look at the screen. The pressure from looking down will begin to build in your neck in the long run, possibly leading to neck pain or soreness, upper back muscle spasms, and even premature disc degeneration (only in special cases). And if you place your laptop screen at a suitable level then, it will be a bad posture for your arms.
When typing, your elbow should be resting on the sides of your chair. This lets your arms and shoulders stay at rest, and you can work comfortably for a great deal of time.
If your only system is a laptop then you can buy a laptop stand with an external keyboard and mouse. A setup like this would work well.
2) The 90–90–90 posture
When working on your table, sit in such a way that:
a) Your arms are about 90 degrees with respect to the height axis of your room.
b) Your thighs and legs make a 90-degree angle.
c) Your back and lower body are at a 90-degree angle.
Note: Down go measuring to make it an exact 90! Ask someone to just roughly check if it seems like a 90-degree angle to him/her. 90 is actually a benchmark. You don’t need an exact 90.
3) Goodbye Slouching!
My school teachers used to constantly scold us to not slouch when sitting. It took me years to realize and acknowledge the worth of that advice. Your spinal cord should stay erect (from the outside point of view. The Spinal cord is not even erect in the first place!).
The spine must rely on the passive musculoskeletal system structures for support when the worn-out muscles are unable to maintain stability. This is a major reason why people prefer to slouch despite knowing its health effects and unattractive look.
In these cases, I recommend people to use pillow support at home. In schools and workplaces, one can use their bags for the same.
The fourth concept can easily fix slouching in long term.
4) Short breaks
As I said, the human body is meant for moving and not smashing keys on your keyboard. Every 30 minutes take at least 1 minute to get up and stretch your body. Perhaps walk around a bit, go for nature’s call, or a sip of water.
Even if you’re too immersed in your work, you can still walk and ruminate on your project. If you can invest 5 minutes for a break, you can also opt for the Pomodoro technique.
Just make sure this doesn’t affect your productivity, if not increase.
Slightly off-topic, but you should do stretching and joint exercises at least once a day. And I hope your screens when working are in reading mode 😊
