- The most serious health problems for office workers
- Diseases
Many have heard the story of a man who died directly from his desk in the office and stayed there for five days - colleagues thought he was, as usual, a lot of work, until finally a cleaner discovered that he was dead. It is not known how the death of that person associated with his work, but the story is a reminder that, as mentioned hundreds of times - a long sitting at the table is killing us in the literal sense of the word. If you do not want that work led to serious illness and even premature death, get acquainted with serious health problems office workers, and learn how to prevent them.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Maybe you think that this violation is found only in overweight older people, but today, carpal tunnel syndrome is becoming increasingly common disease among office workers of any age group
. Experts first noticed this violation after the Second World War, but it did not pay enough attention to the 1970s
. Until that time it was thought that it is just another excuse invented quirky employees not to work
. But when the offices are increasingly used computers, carpal tunnel syndrome has become a truly urgent issue
. Doctors describe this disorder as a compression of the median nerve of the wrist between the tendons and bones
. The median nerve is responsible for the sensitivity and mobility of certain parts of hand
. Its compression can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness and muscle damage in the hands and fingers
. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a result of repetitive hand the same movements - in particular, those associated with the printing on your keyboard
. It was in the last 20 years, when the computer has become an integral part of everyday life for millions of people to become doctors treat more patients in the survey detected carpal tunnel syndrome
.
Prevention. Simple stretching of the hands and fingers, performed several times a day will help prevent the development of disease (rotate the wrists, as much as possible rastopyrivat fingers, twist the fingers of one hand the fingers of the other hand so that you feel as stretched muscles). You can also use the special ergonomic mouse pads and keyboard, providing the correct position of hands during work, but they are no substitute for regular stretching.
Backaches
It was once thought that the back pain
Low back pain: the spine signals
- A lot of manual workers, especially those who regularly have to carry heavy weights. Now, however, these pains suffered by office workers of all ages. Experts say this is due to the fact that more and more people every day spend long hours sitting. Add to this a lot of problems with posture
Posture - a few helpful tips for those who want to walk straight
And obtain a natural result - with time back starts to hurt, which of course makes it difficult to fulfill their job responsibilities. Problems arise not only from those who are constantly hunched over a desk. If you sit up straight, but the spine is curved too much, it can also lead to back pain.
Prevention. Pay attention to your posture. The back should be straight but not tense. If you are not sure that you have the correct posture, refer to a specialist - in most cases it can be corrected fairly quickly. It is necessary to exercise regularly, including to perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles, thereby reducing the load on the lower back.
As often as possible get up from the table and do at least a few steps around the office. It improves blood circulation and makes muscles to work the entire body. When you sit for hours, the muscles, of course, not atrophied, but they suffer from inactivity of the lack of blood flow. If you have no reason to get up and go somewhere, invent it. Go for the tape or water, stroll to the nearby office and talk to the right person in person, rather than to send him an e-mail.
The chair on which you sit, is also very important for your health. It must support the back and help to ensure that the person sitting in the correct position.
Eyestrain
Those of us who have worked for hours on end tables and text documents at the end of the day certainly had to feel like the numbers and letters in the eyes burn holes. Programmers who work on the rise write code into the night, until the morning and then check the thousands of lines of code, familiar feeling when his vision as if starts to melt and melt. Indeed, if a person stares at a computer screen, visible objects are starting to look dull, there is increased sensitivity of the eyes, the eyes are often dry, and there is a burning sensation. However, these symptoms may appear headache
Headache: Causes and Complications
and pain in the neck.
Prevention. To avoid eyestrain, especially, need to increase the font size or the display scale of the document on the screen. Regularly Rest your eyes looking somewhere to the side of the screen - in a window, or the picture hanging on the opposite wall of the office. If the head of the notice that you, instead, to work hard, looked at the clouds dreamily, explain to him how important it is to rest your eyes. If you do not, eyestrain can not only lead to temporary impairment of vision, but also to fatigue, malaise, vomiting, weakened concentration and learning disabilities.
Viruses and bacteria
If you are asked to name the dirtiest job in the world, your mind will hardly something to do with the office. But in fact, lives in the office space has 400 times more bacteria and other potentially harmful microorganisms than in your closet. Although almost anywhere in the office hiding Ebola virus, there is still lack of invisible creatures, which can cause a variety of health problems. The habit of eating at the table - one of the reasons why the Office gets so dirty place. It is not that in itself crumbs and coffee stains make your workplace untidy; the remains of your meal feed hungry microbes that are saturated, begin to multiply. Consider that you feed them like ducks in a pond, although they themselves do, of course, do not want to.
According to experts, of all the objects on the office desk most harmful micro-organisms living on the phone. Behind him in the ranking followed by the keyboard and the computer mouse.
Remains of food fall on the floor, get into corners from which they can not always be clean, even cleaner, and when the office lights go out, eat them can come rats, mice, cockroaches and other creatures who bring with them new portion of microbes . Add to this the fact that not all employees wash their hands after using the toilet during the day in the office bring parcels which were not the cleanest surfaces - this and many other factors that few people pay attention, leading to the fact that the space around you turns into a haven for microorganisms that are constantly looking for the object on which to live, feed and reproduce. One of the most suitable sites with their point of view - you.
Prevention. If you often eat at your desk, purchase an antibacterial agent, and every day they wipe work surfaces. Wash your hands every time before and after meals. If you notice that some of the colleagues did not wash their hands after using the toilet, polite hint to them that it is not necessary to do so. And another thing: if you bring home sandwiches with cheese or sausage, boiled eggs or other perishable foods, keep them in the refrigerator. If the office is not the refrigerator, take to work food that will not spoil for 6-7 hours - fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts.
Sound stress
Many have heard about noise pollution - a problem faced by the inhabitants of modern cities. A variety of noises in the office - the ringing phone, the hum of working printers and air conditioners, the voices of employees - cause a condition that psychologists call noise stress
How to beat stress? Create an oasis
. Studies have shown that particularly acute problem in open plan offices. The high stress level reduces motivation and weakening concentration. If low noise can even improve attention and some other indicators, the constant noise stress has a negative impact on a person's ability to make informed decisions, it does not give people enough to be attentive to their own state, in time to take a break and normally rest.
Prevention. Ideally, office workers should work in a quiet, enclosed spaces where they can retire and adjust the level of noise at its discretion. In an open office environment can wear special headphones that helps protect against noise. If it for some reason is impossible, during breaks Take short walks to the park or to another quiet place - this helps to greatly reduce the stress level.