What is Proper Head Posture at a Desk? Exercises and Stretches to Try

Being unaware of how you sit at your desk when you’re engrossed with work is extremely common. In fact, more than eighty percent of people have bad posture. It’s not just your shoulders and limbs that suffer the wrath of bad posture; your head and neck have it pretty rough too. Many people ignore the importance of proper head posture and as a result may have to suffer long-term injury and differences to their appearance. Let’s learn how to keep your head up with proper posture with us!

Are There Different Types of Posture?

Yes! Each person pretty much has their own way of sitting, standing, and walking. That means a lot of different postures! Talking specifically about working, however, there are many posture types while sitting. Hardly anyone remembers to focus on their head since most of us are leaning into a screen anyway. Kyphosis(hunchback), flatback, swayback, and forward head are the most common examples of bad posture.

Did You Say… Forward Head?

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? That’s because countless people are guilty of not knowing or keeping proper head and neck posture. Forward head is when your body is aligned but your head is constantly hunched over, leaning forward. This can cause significant strain to your neck muscles as well as your upper back. The most common symptom is actually your shoulders hurting.

Is There Any Way to Fix This Without Spending Cash at the Chiropractor?

Of course there is. You don’t have to go rushing off to give your money to a chiro or ortho to achieve good head posture. There are some simple things you can do to get back on track:

Step 1: Be Aware

Acceptance and awareness is the first step. Once you’ve realized that you’re not doing your head any favors by not maintaining proper head posture, you can begin to subconsciously realize it. 

Step 2: Sit well

Find out the proper way to sit at desk and remember to practice it. You’re probably sitting a lot of the way. Make sure it’s not in a slump. Sitting slouched not only decreases productivity at work, it also gives you a bad standing posture which results in your back being hunched, your neck jutting forward and your body not being aligned. This appearance can really put back your overall personality as well as being a confidence killer. 

Step 3: Get an ergonomic chair

A good, ergonomic chair goes a long way to support not just your back, but also your head and neck. Invest in an ergonomic chair with a headrest and it will help you keep a proper head position.

If you don’t know which one is the best office chair with a headrest, we can help. Here’s a few examples of chairs with headrests we have our eyes on:

1. Autonomous Ergochair Pro

This is overall an amazing ergonomic chair with several ergonomic features that help support your spine and avoid injury to your muscles. It also has an adjustable headrest which really makes it a treat to use.

2. Flash furniture high-back mesh chair

This one is pretty much your normal run-off-the-mill mesh chair, but the high back and headrest really do add points. It is also extremely affordable if you’re looking for a cheaper option.

3. Autonomous Ergochair Recline

The Autonomous Ergochair Recline is as beautiful as it is useful. Equipped with a fully adjustable headrest and recline feature, this ergonomic chair goes the extra mile to make sure you keep a proper head and neck posture. The bonus benefit is that whenever you want to take a break from work, you can just recline it and give yourself a much-deserved break. 

Ergonomic sitting position

Different kinds of desks and chairs influence the way you sit every day. It’s important to know and consciously sit in an ergonomic sitting position to make sure your head and neck (and body!), do not suffer the long hours you’re putting in.

Practice: Practice does indeed make perfect and this applies to keeping a proper head pocture too. An easy exercise you can keep doing is to sit and look straight ahead while relaxing your shoulders. Proceed to tuck your chin in so it is parallel to the floor. Slowly move your head back, aligning your ear with your shoulders. Hold this position for a few seconds and release. Repeat a few times a day to achieve good head posture.

Position your screens

Your monitors and screens are where your eyes are at and consequently where your head will be turned or facing at all times. Positioning your monitor screens so that they do not strain your neck muscles is important, and also easy. A good monitor arm such as the Autonomous monitor arm, will help make sure your head is always in a proper position. This monitor arm is 360 degree adjustable and makes sure your monitor is placed according to your eyes, instead of it being the other way around.

Heading Out

It’s not just an office environment that makes you lose track of your body while sitting, proper head posture is essential even if you’re working from home. Make sure you correct your work from home posture also. Your brain is the most important organ in your body and it’s residing happily in your head, being supported by your neck. Ignoring bad head and neck posture will definitely have its repercussions on them too. Let’s try to avoid that as much as possible.