How To Stay Healthy Working At Home

By Dr. Derek Harting

Since 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of employees
working remotely. With this change of working environment we’ve also seen an increase of aches and
pains. 44% of teleworkers experience neck, back, shoulder, and wrist pain. One explanation for this is
the fact that many teleworkers tend to sit with poor posture for long periods of time. Maybe you’re new
to the work from home environment or you may have experienced some hiccups in your routine, here
are 6 tips to make working from home more health friendly.

1. Get Enough Sleep- Set yourself up for success by prioritizing good sleep hygiene. Sleep deprived
workers cost the economy billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. Limit/stop liquid intake atleast
one hour prior to sleeping. Go to bed and get out of bed at the same time everyday regardless of the
number of hours slept. Exercise daily. Limit/stop screen use (phones, laptops, tablets, TVs) one hour
prior to sleeping. Stop all caffeine intake prior to 1pm.
2. Take Frequent Short Breaks- This breaks up stagnant and prolonged postures that may be leading to
aches, pains, and stiffness. Set a timer to stretch every 30 to 50 minutes. Start with simple range of
motion stretching or implement a routine that hits your specific problematic areas. This should only take
a couple minutes or less. Common areas to stretch include the hip flexors, pectoral muscles, neck
flexors, wrist flexors, and the gluteal muscles.
3. Invest in Your Work Station- Adjustable sit stand desks make for an ideal work station as you can
change positions from sitting to stand while continuing to work. Use a comfortable but supportive chair
that can be adjusted to different body types and your desk. Ask your employer if there is financial
assistance available. Cheaper, DIY options include sitting on a stability/wobble disk or an exercise ball.
This will require more active support from postural muscles rather than relying on passive structures like
your spinal ligaments or discs where pressures can build causing pain.
4. Keep an Arms Length- Position your monitor so that it’s eye level and two feet away. Also avoid using
a laptop on your desk. This can help minimize forward head posture associated with computer use and
looking down leading to neck pain or headaches. Ideally your wrists should be straight with your hands
at or below the elbow level. Adjust your sitting level so that the knees are level with your hips, using a
footrest may be helpful. Keep key objects close to your body and stand up to reach anything that can’t
be comfortably reached.

5. Make Time to Exercise- Keeping your body physically strong makes you less likely to experience injury.
Sitting prolonged can lead to the development of hyperactive muscles and others that tend to be under
stimulated and fatigue easily. Have a chiropractor, doctor, or trainer assess your posture for possible
imbalances. Learn how to strengthen weak muscles and stretch tight muscles with a goal working
towards obtaining better -neutral- posture. Resistance training is an excellent way of maintaining lean
muscle mass, joint health, bone density, weight management, flexibility, balance, mental cognition and
self esteem. Draining your physical energy also boosts your bodies requirement for sleep and recovery.
6. Stay Hydrated and Nourished- Water is essential to almost every bodily function and older adults are
most prone to being dehydrated. Generally speaking, take one third of your body weight and drink that
in ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds aim to drink 50 ounces of water daily. Keep drinking water nearby while working, coconut water is an excellent choice as this has natural electrolytes present. Eat a whole
food, well balanced diet while trying to avoid processed/refined sugars and grains, high calorie or
sweetened drinks, artificial sweeteners, processed meats, and factory-farmed meats. Take a food allergy
or food intolerance test to see which other food types your body has difficulty digesting and you want to
avoid.

Its important to figure out what works best for you and your specific work situation. Sometimes the
solution is clear and simple, other times you may go through trial and error. You may find help from
peers or enlist the help of a professional. Either way, stay positive and persistent because a supportive
environment exists. Check with your human resources department and online groups like Facebook or
slack channels to find your tailor made strategy or approach.

1. Certain bones of our body, like ribs, are particularly fragile. During a violent car impact, ribs might break, especially if you are pushed outside of the car or towards other parts of the car. Such a physical impact require long periods of rest and, of course, the immediate help of qualified doctors.
2. Bleeding is possibly one of the most typical physical injuries during a car accident. Either you are bleeding from your nose, lips or you have internal bleeding, you need urgent help and assistance to stop the blood flow. In particular, internal bleeding represents the most serious injuries, because most of the times people (included the patient) can’t actually see the bleeding.
3. Herniated disc is another frequent personal injury which can happen during a car accident. It’s similar to broken bones as it consists of the rupture of one or more vertebrae of your spine.

Other Consequences After A Car Accident

It’s not a rule that car drivers/passengers have to get injured during a car accident. It might also happen that both parties don’t get any injury, yet they might suffer from mental and emotional disorders due to the accident. Car accidents, even the simplest ones, may easily turn into psychological traumas: feeling guilty for the damages to the car and/or objects or people is one of the most common reactions.

Some people have frequent nightmares after the day of the car accident. Consider that even a car lockout emergency may become a nightmare: by luck, you can call a qualified car locksmith from https://www.ontimelocksmiths.com/emergency-locksmith to help you get back on the road safe and sound.