The Benefits of a Standing Desk

Being seated in a chair all day can be very bad for your posture and your spinal health. In fact, your lower lumbar discs are under around 40% more pressure when you’re seated than compared to standing.

It is not natural for the human frame to be held in the seated position for many hours on end and consequently low back pain, eye strain and neck issues often result. Could a standing desk be the answer?

Standing desks have become more commonplace in recent years as companies realise the negative effects of many hours of being seated on their employee’s health. This can affect employee health and absenteeism which many companies recognise as being a major problem.

Research studies also show that along with reducing back pain, a standing desk can also reduce your likelihood of gaining weight and may also help lower blood sugar levels and reduce your risk of heart disease. The manufacturers of these desks also claim that they help improve mood and energy levels along with productivity.

One study showed that people burn over 150 calories more per day when they stand at a desk for 8 hours as opposed to sitting down for the same amount of time. This not only prevents weight gain but could also explain the improvement in blood sugar levels associated with diabetes.

Even alternating between standing and sitting throughout the day was shown to have positive results on employees in another study. The more advanced desks are motorised and can change heights at the push of a button allowing workers to alternate between standing and sitting across their work day. Of course you could manually move between two different height surfaces to achieve the same thing but that might not be practical if you work in a busy office.

The prevalence of standing desks will only increase over the years to come as people see the benefits of using them. Employers will be forced to offer their workers the option of a standing desk in order to improve the health and productivity of their work force.