Ergonomic Benefits of Standing Desk: What You Need to Know

What if there was a better way to do office work and break up the monotony of sitting in the same spot for hours on end? Standing desks are revolutionizing workspace ergonomics and helping office workers become more motivated and productive at work. If you have ever suffered from back and neck aches from poor posture at the office, then you should consider switching from a traditional desk setup to a standing desk. In this post, we are going to share some ergonomic benefits of standing desk options that are in the market today. It’s never too late to redesign your office and improve the ergonomics.

What Is a Standing Desk?

Put simply, a standing desk is an elevated office desk that you can utilize while in the standing position. Most people think that sitting is the normal and only way to work, but a standing desk challenges this idea. There are different types, which we are going to look more into in the next section. There are numerous health benefits of a standing desk at work, and that is why more people are replacing their old desks with this new and improved version.

Types of Standing Desk

The primary goal of all the various types of standing desks is to improve the ergonomics of your workspace. The simplest form is a fixed-height or static height standing desk that is built to an elevated height. While this might be a simple option and an excellent DIY endeavor, such a desk has limited functionality. When you want to sit and work, you need to have a backup option.

The next best thing in this furniture category is an adjustable mechanical standing desk. This option allows you to adjust the height of the desk to your liking during the initial setup. The main challenge with this desk is that it can take some time and effort to alter the height when you need to.

The best option is an adjustable electric option. This choice is the most ergonomic standing desk out there, and it allows you to do a lot with it.

With an adjustable electric standing desk like the SmartDesk 2 - Premium, you can program up to four height levels. At the push of a button, you can move the desk quietly and smoothly between the preset height levels, making it an easy process to switch between the sitting and standing positions and back again. Are sit-stand desks good for you? The answer is yes, and an adjustable electric standing desk is the most ergonomic and flexible option. If you have a corner office, you can also consider an L-shaped standing desk.

Standing desks are a sizable long-term investment, but they are certainly worthwhile. If a brand-new desk is currently out of your budget, you can look into a standing desk converter. Although this is a simplified version, it still has more of the same benefits of ergonomic workstation arrangements.

The Importance of Workplace Ergonomics

The benefits of ergonomic workstation setups are both short-term and long-term. Workplace ergonomics is all about designing the space with the user in mind. It entails making the environment more comfortable, optimizing the layout, and using furniture that is adjustable to match the size and build of the user.

There are numerous benefits of paying attention to office ergonomics. These include better posture, fewer workplace accidents, and increasing productivity and morale. To make an office more ergonomic, several changes can be made, both large and small.

Two important ways to improve office ergonomics relate to your choice of the key pieces of office furniture. You can switch out your current desk because there are many benefits of a standing desk at work. You can also use a more ergonomic chair option such as the ErgoChair 2, which has a superior design that maximizes the user's comfort level.

What Are the Benefits of Standing Desk?

You may have heard a lot about there being many benefits of ergonomic workstation setups. If you are considering purchasing a standing desk this year, then you are probably asking this question, “Are sit-stand desks good for you?” It’s time to look at the specific health and wealth benefits as some of the research that backs it up. There are at least five specific benefits to consider. If you are ready to improve your work life, a standing desk could be just what you need.

There are many risks of leading a primarily sedentary life. As an office worker, you are often left with no choice but to spend most of the working day seated. In the evening, you might find yourself doing the same thing. If you are not intentional about breaking up those long periods of sitting, the chances of developing weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and even heart disease. There have been numerous scientific research studies to back this up.

As we now look at why you might want to use this desk, each standing desk benefit may apply to a different category of people. If you are like most people, you are likely to see multiple ways you can win at work by using a standing desk this year.

1. Reduce your risk of gaining weight and becoming obese

Those who spend most of their day in a sitting position are more likely to burn fewer calories. When you consistently eat more calories than you burn, you can expect to start gaining weight over time. Once you start using a standing desk and choose to stand for part of your work time, you can mitigate this risk. Standing naturally burns more calories than sitting. In fact, studies have found that if you stand for an afternoon, you can burn 170 calories more. While this might not seem like much, it can quickly add up as you replace a few hours a day of sitting with standing at your new standing desk instead.

2. Lower your chances of developing heart disease

This is another one of the main ergonomic benefits of standing desk setups. Something like heart disease does not develop overnight, so it’s the little daily healthy habits that stack up and make a difference over time. There have been a number of major studies to demonstrate the effects of standing more at work on reducing the risk of heart disease. In the 1950s, a study looked at bus drivers who stood at work versus those who worked in a sitting position. In a systematic review of the studies in this area, it was found that prolonged sitting time could increase the chances of heart disease by as much as 147%.

3. Reduce your blood sugar level

Spikes in blood sugar levels often happen after mealtime. These levels can be harmful to the body, especially for people who have type II diabetes or insulin resistance. In studies looking at office workers who stood for about 2 hours after lunch and others who alternated between sitting and standing for 30 minutes each, these actions were found to reduce the blood sugar spikes compared to the test groups who remained seated. If you decide to switch out your desk for a standing one, you too can start to experience these benefits of a standing desk at work.

4. Reduce back and neck pain

Back pain is a persistent problem, and while it can have many causes, poor ergonomics at work are a common problem. An estimated one-half of working Americans experience the symptoms of back pain each year.  The benefits of ergonomic workstation setups are very direct and quick in this case. A standing desk has an ergonomic design, and when adjusted to the right height for you, it can help you reduce backaches and neck strain and also improve your posture. Are sit-stand desks good for you? The answer is a resounding yes.

5. Boost your mood, motivation, energy levels, and productivity

If this sounds like exactly what you have been looking for, but a little too good to be true, it's vital to look at exactly how this happens. The benefits of ergonomic workstation setups are many and far-reaching. In a 7-week study using standing desks, participants reported higher levels of vigor and energy and lower stress and fatigue.

The results of all the positive effects of using a standing desk accumulate and compound over time. When you are burning more calories, reducing back and neck pain, and reducing your risks of obesity and other long-term conditions, all are health risks of sitting for a long time. You are bound to feel better. As you switch up the ordinary and mundane workday with a new way of doing things that has been shown to have impressive results, you can watch your mood go up and your stress levels go down tremendously. It also helps to boost your productivity at work as well.

The ergonomic benefits of standing desk make it a worthwhile investment to look into. You can even consider utilizing the 30-day trial period that some standing desk makers offer to see if such a desk is a good idea for you. It’s also a great idea to learn about the different models out there and find out about the experiences of other people in your circle who may have already started using a standing desk. If you ask them what the benefits of standing desk setups for the office are, you can get even more tips on how to get the most out of a standing desk.

The Best Way to Use Your Standing Desk

Buying a standing desk isn’t a way to magically take away all your back pain, posture problems, and reap all of the aforementioned health benefits immediately. As with any other device or piece of equipment and office furniture, the results you get are completely dependent on whether you use it correctly or not. That means there’s a right way to use a standing desk and get the maximum benefits from it.

Here are some of the things you should note when you make the switch to a standing desk:

• While standing for part of the workday has numerous health benefits, you want to avoid standing for prolonged periods. It’s much better to intersperse your standing and sitting to prevent putting too much strain and weight on your feet. You can track your activity using a timer. One of the reasons why an adjustable electric standing desk is ideal is that it makes it easy to switch between the standing and sitting desk levels. All you have to do is press a button.
• Wearing comfortable shoes or sneakers when standing can also help to keep your feet cushioned.
• In the same vein, you can use an anti-fatigue mat to provide additional support and cushioning for your feet while you are standing.
• When you stand or sit at your desk, you can only get the full benefits of a standing desk at work when you maintain the right position and good posture. You should never be hunched over, but you should stand straight and position the desk to the right height for your build.
• Your elbows must make a right angle with the desk in either position. With a SmartDesk, you can program the appropriate heights into the system so that you don’t have to figure out how high or low to position them each time. You might need to invest in a separate keyboard and mouse if you are using a laptop. An under-desk tray for these can also help you find the right alignment.
• You can also raise your monitor to eye level so that you do not strain your neck unnecessarily.

In this article, the question of what the benefits of standing desk setups are, was answered. As you can see, there are so many great things you can achieve for both your health and your work productivity by trading out your old desk with a standing one. Knowing the ergonomic benefits of standing desk options can help you out when you want to redesign your ergonomic home office or work office. For anyone who is looking to make their workday more productive, reduce persistent backache, improve posture, or become more active in general, a standing desk is worth considering.