How Long Should I Stand At My Standing Desk?

Some might already be knowledgeable about the benefits a standing desk can offer. It can help you increase your productivity level, become comfortable at work, and promote a healthier working environment. Since standing desks are now becoming famous in today’s workplaces, it is vital to learn how to use it and make the most of their features properly. Along with standing desks are other ergonomic accessories and devices such as converters, ergonomic accessories, anti-fatigue mats, and ergonomic chairs. One question first-time users of standing desks may be asking is, ‘how long should I stand at my standing desk?’ 

Why Standing at Work Can Be More Advantageous?

It’s great to know that more and more companies nowadays are replacing their employees’ desks with ergonomic equipment such as standing desks or sit-stand desks. This is due to the various reports and studies that prolonged sitting at work can be detrimental to the workers’ health and wellbeing. Thus, prioritizing their health and comfort is one of the biggest goals they should have.

As continuous studies are being done about applying ergonomics in the workplace, it is expected that innovating trends will add more features to the current models of standing desks. These trends will also impact other ergonomic tools and devices. Hopefully, more research focusing on how efficiency and productivity will be promoted will be provided to more workers.

So, How Long Should You Stand at your Standing Desk?

The introduction of standing desks gave hope to the employees that they can be somehow free from the adverse effects of a sedentary work lifestyle. With this equipment, they can work while standing. However, we all know that everything too much can be absolutely dangerous. Just like sitting, standing can also pose risks to the body when done in long hours. So, how much standing is ideal for the entire day? How many hours should you spend to evade the unhealthy effects of too much standing?

According to medical and ergonomic experts, we should not stand for the whole day. This is because standing for prolonged periods can be similar to sitting for long hours. You can also acquire the same detrimental effects. Standing can compress the spine leading your heart to work difficulty, thus having lower back pain. It can also increase the risk of having cardiovascular issues, including carotid arteries, varicose veins, and vein thrombosis.

Experts advised that it will be great if we can spend half of the day standing, and the other half is sitting. But make sure to switch between sitting and standing every 15-30 minutes. This is the ideal time to switch because your metabolism starts to slow down by 90% after 30 minutes.

It’s now time to stop the usual work trends in most offices. Most office workers spend more than 10 hours sitting each day. Activities they are involved with are working on tasks, eating lunch, sitting on meetings, and more. After work, they get home, and they tend to sit for more hours watching TV, playing games, and browsing on mobile phones. That way of sedentary lifestyle can be shocking, but that mostly happens in reality.

Tips To Avoid the Adverse Effects of Prolonged Standing 

Practice and consistency are two important factors to consider to make proper standing habits effective. There are various tips that you can apply to evade the adverse effects of long hours of standing. What’s more interesting is that you can apply these in your daily activities.  

When taking calls, for instance, you get up, stand, or walk while having the phone conversation instead of talking over the phone while seated. You and your colleagues can also eat lunch standing up. It can only take 20-30 minutes to have your lunch, but that length of time can add a significant benefit to your health.

Another interesting and beneficial idea is to have standing meetings instead of the usually seated meetings. This can be ideal in a small group meeting. This will help promote movements and make you more active in the workplace. 

Do not wait for you to experience back pain and fatigue before you start shifting to standing. Once you have your standing desk, start using it properly to achieve its features and essential functions.

Healthline.com shares some tips on how to use standing desks properly. Included on those reminders are:

1. Use automated software or applications as an alarm to take regular breaks. Taking breaks is crucial when you work for you to avoid being stagnant the whole day.

2. Attach excellent arm support to your desk. Arm supports can help with your neck and shoulder problems, 

3. Use quality anti-fatigue mats may reduce fatigue and tiredness due to standing. According to some experts, back pain and leg discomfort are often experienced when standing for more than 2 hours a day.

4. Strive to alternate between standing and sitting. Several studies suggest that you can only spend an hour standing for every 1 hour or 2 hours of sitting. 

5. Ensure that you will adjust your desk and screen according to your height. The screen should be at your eye level. Also, your desk must be aligned with the elbows.

We have published a blog post where we discussed some common mistakes people might be doing with their standing desks. It’s crucial to learn about these mistakes so they can be fixed as soon as possible. Some of the mistakes that require proper attention are:

- The desk is set up either too low or too high

- Neglecting to change standing positions often

- Setting up the computer screen too low

- Standing on a hard surface

- Wearing shoes that are not comfortable

- Bending your wrists upward on the keyboard

- Standing for long hours

We all want to be productive and efficient at work. But more than that, we also need to consider our health and wellbeing as priority. When choosing a standing desk, always consider quality, assembly instructions, and functionality of the equipment. Since there are countless brands nowadays, it’s a must to be careful in choosing the best standing desk for your needs.