Work at the office is purely intellectual and seems very comfortable. But this is only at first glance.
Sources of Harmful Influence at the Office
My Canadian Pharmacy conducted research of workplaces and revealed several sources of harmful influence:
1. Electromagnetic radiation produced by electrical devices. The harmful effect depends not on the strength of the impact, but on the duration of the impact – 50 or more percent of working time;
2. Noise of low intensity, which produce electrical appliances, ozonizers, air conditioners, street noise outside the window;
3. Static electricity;
4. Neuropsychiatric stress.
In any office, and especially in a studio -the premises of a huge area with partitions – there can be personal conflicts both hidden and obvious. In combination with stressful working conditions (constant work, time trouble, etc.), this adversely affects the nervous system and psyche.
As a consequence, a person can suffer from migraines, insomnia, phobias, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthenic syndrome, depression and other diseases. Typically, this condition is especially often observed in winter and autumn, when we lack the sunlight, and, consequently, the hormone of happiness of serotonin. Consequence – loss of concentration, distracted attention, reduced efficiency. Although, there can be many reasons and it is necessary to struggle with them.
What to do?
In this case, My Canadian Pharmacy experts advise to monitor yourself. For example, if you are tired, do not get enough sleep, take a 3 – 4 day vacation. Walk, take a breath of fresh air, move more – and, believe us, everything will be all right. And if you still feel tired after a long weekend, be sure to visit a doctor. Perhaps, this is not a simple spleen, but a syndrome of chronic fatigue. It can also be manifested in muscle and joint pains, fever, general weakness. There is no panacea for this condition, but the doctor will be able to advise you how to get rid of a syndrome of chronic fatigue.
5. Intensive mental activity
6. Hypodinamy
The average office worker uses the elevator, sits in the car, sits at the desk motionless for 8 -10 hours. Do we need to explain that this leads to obesity?
What to do?
Use any minute before and after work, as well as on weekends, to move by any means. Walking, jogging on weekends, refusing a car and walking from your house to the subway, fitness club, easy morning exercises – everything will work!
7. Prolonged forced postures
Often, a person does not follow in what position he sits – shoulders are skewed, the neck is bent, the back is twisted.
As a consequence, there is a headache, frequent myositis, swelling in the overstrained cervical and spinal muscles, osteochondrosis of the spine and associated degenerative disorders in the vertebrae and joints are progressing. If the person sits straight, the same consequences will occur. Slowed blood flow in the limbs leads to disturbances in the trophism of lower limb tissues, vascular diseases, myalgia, joint and ligament diseases.
What to do?
Interrupt your sitting by any movements, even if there is no time. The main thing is your health! You can do a production gymnastics 2 times a day, and a mini-warm-up every hour (sit down 10 times, slowly turn your head, etc.). In addition, it is very important to constantly change your posture when you are sitting, not to slouch, not to squeeze your head into your shoulders and not to tip your back – take an example with a pianist whose back and neck are straight, arms are relaxed and gently pushed to the keyboard.
One more tip: refuse the elevator. Climbing the stairs will be a good charge for your muscles. Do not forget to walk on foot. For example, plan that today you go on foot from the metro to your house. Also, an easy warm-up will not hurt during the working day. If you have an hour for lunch, you can eat in 30-40 minutes, and spend the remaining time for a short walk. This will not only help you to gain lightness in the entire body, improve digestion, but will also raise your spirits. According to My Canadian Pharmacy, even such a small rest will significantly increase your efficiency, you will become much more attentive.
8. Not ergonomic arrangement of the workplace
Hands tension due to prolonged work with the mouse, typing on the keyboard leads to arthrosis of the wrist joints and even to tunnel wrist syndrome, in which the nerve trunks passing through the muscle, fibrous or bone channels (tunnels) are strongly squeezed due to pathological changes in these structures. This disease is accompanied by severe pain and requires serious treatment. Lack of support for the elbow and the sagging of hands are especially dangerous. If the keyboard and the mouse are at the edge of the table, this may cause pain in the neck and shoulder joints.
What to do?
You should put the keyboard with the mouse in such a way that the hands and the elbow were one line parallel to the surface of the table, and the shoulder was located at an angle of 90 to it. Nowadays, office desks are equipped with a special pull-out keyboard shelf, which is designed to ensure the correct position of the hands. There are also special armrests and pads that support the elbow and the hands. Exercises for the fingers and palms are also useful: squeezing, rotation of the hands in different directions, shaking “water” from the hands, etc.
9. Visual stress
The flickering computer monitor is considered the most dangerous eye strain, according to ophthalmologists and My Canadian Pharmacy specialists. Long stay at a computer monitor negatively affects the sharpness and clarity of vision, contributes to the rapid fatigue, unpleasant glare in front of the eyes and, as a natural result, a significant eyesight deterioration.
What to do?
You will have to do special eye exercises, for example, transferring the focus of vision from a close to a distant object, closing your eyes for 2 minutes, moving your eyes in a circle in one direction. You should relax your eyes, looking out the window at the very distant point every 2 hours. If you are sitting in front of the window, glue a sticker to the glass and look to the horizon from it and back.
You can use special computer stereo images, which are designed for alternate focusing and defocusing of the eyes.
Correct computer glasses perform a number of useful functions:
- Stabilize the negative impact of the computer on the retina and lens of the eye;
- Protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet radiation;
- Reduce the overall burden on the eyes;
- Improve the quality of color reproduction, contrast and sharpness of the image.
Make sure you have a special coating of lenses in computer glasses. There are optical (with diopters) and non-optical (zero) computer glasses. Most often, the manufacturers of computer glasses use the following types of lenses:
- monofocal;
- bifocal;
- variofocal.
They differ by the limited visibility zone, the degree of vision correction – it is necessary to select glasses for working at the computer, depending on the individual features of the vision. The best option is a consultation with a qualified ophthalmologist who will help you choose the right computer glasses, based on the diagnosis data of your vision and his own experience.
10. Poor air or abiotic microclimate
The abundance of papers, horizontal surfaces in the form of tables and chairs, shelves and cabinets, carpet on the floor – all this contributes to the concentration of dust. Office equipment has the feature of attracting dust and throw it back into the air when cooling systems (built-in fans) work. Air conditioners in the off mode accumulate a huge number of viruses, bacteria and fungi on their filters. You turn on the air conditioner, thinking that you are improving the air circulation, … and begin to inhale this “cocktail”. In addition, offices have an increased the level of radiation from the abundance of office equipment. By the way, viruses and bacteria are also deposited on the keyboard, mouse and handset.
What to do?
Roll up your sleeves and do a wet cleaning of your workplace in the middle of the day, wipe your office equipment and phone with special wet napkins. Ask your director to clean the air conditioner and change its filters. This will help reduce the concentration of dust, viruses and bacteria in the air and on all surfaces. As for radiation, you should demand the latest modifications of computer monitors from the employer – the surface of their screens is protected by tin dioxide, and does not pose any danger.
Put room flowers with wide green leaves or containers of water (air humidifiers, aquariums), ventilate the room more often.