Sitting all day long can have a negative impact on employee well-being, and when a workforce’s health is compromised that can result in reduced productivity for businesses. This problem can be solved by office design innovations such as sit-stand desks.
What Is a Sit-Stand Desk?
This type of desk is also referred to as a height-adjustable desk. It allows the employee to lower or raise the desk based on her or his individual needs. The desk can be adjusted so that a person can either sit in an office chair or stand in front of the desk to work. Even with all of these capabilities, a sit-stand desk seamlessly blends in with any office design, since at first glance they look like all other ordinary office furniture.
What Is a Standing Desk?
Also referred to as a stand-up desk, a standing desk is a desk that makes it possible for you to comfortably stand up at and work at your desk.
Most modern versions of this type of desk are adjustable, and allow you to alter the height of the desk as well as alternate between standing and sitting to do your work.
Research is still within its preliminary stages, but it appears that are significant health benefits that come with working at a standing desk. It may increase productivity as well.
Using this kind of desk, at the very least, will help to partially negate the damage effects that come with sitting too much.
Why Are Sit-Stand Desks Important?
Employees who work inside of their offices from 9 to 5 all week have limited opportunities for doing any non-related work activities, such as going for walks. After all, they have a lot of work to do. However, sitting for many hours at a time can have serious negative impacts on an individual’s health.
The answer to the problem is multi-tasking. A sit-stand desk provides employees with the opportunity to stand while they are working. That gives them some very necessary stretch time without them having to fall behind on their work.
How Do These Desks Benefit The Workers Health?
Between working at an office, watching TV and driving, it seems that people cannot escape sitting down. Unless changes are made, the population will be faced with serious negative health consequences that come with leading such sedentary lifestyles. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine research, sitting all day long increases a person’s risk to develop a number of deadly diseases, including conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. This is true even when the person exercises, although physical activity can help to reduce the risk of developing sedentary-related health issues.
What is even more troubling is that it takes only a short amount of time for the negative impacts of setting to take effect. Mayo Clinic data pointed out that being sedentary for just two hours per day poses a 50 percent higher risk for mortality. The duration is linked as well to a 125 percent higher risk for such cardiovascular events as chest pain and heart attacks.
The only way that the chances of developing these deadly diseases due to sitting can be totally eliminated is to avoid sitting for extended amounts of time. This adjustment, of course, is very challenging for people who work at office jobs. However, using a sit-stand desk does make it possible. In addition being able to avoid the negative health consequences that come with sitting, when you stand at your desk to work it can reduce back pain and give you more energy. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published a study where participants who alternated between standing and sitting every 30 minutes were able to experience those benefits while still working productively.
JOIN research indicates that the more health risks that are faced by employees, the less productive they tend to be at work. Employers cannot afford to not invest in the well-being of their workers. Due to this, it is a wise business decision to invest in sit-stand desks or the best office desk Houston has to offer for their offices.
Blood Sugar Levels May Be Lowered By Using Standing Desks
In general, the greater the increase of your blood sugar levels following a meal, the worse that is for your health.
That is particularly true for people with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
A small study involving 10 officer workers showed that standing for a total of 180 minutes in the afternoon after lunch resulted in a 43% reduce blood sugar spike compared to sitting for that same length of time.
The groups both took the same number of steps, which indicates that the smaller spike was the result of standing and not the extra physical movements that were taken around the office.
There was another study that involved 23 office workers where it was found that blood sugar spikes saw an 11.1% reduction, on average, when the employees alternated between sitting and standing every 30 minutes over the course of the day.
Harmful effects caused by sitting after having a meal may explain why prolonged sedentary periods are associated with a staggering 112% higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
Standing Might Reduce Your Risk Of Developing Heart Disease
In 1953 it was first proposed that standing might be better for your heart health.
It was found in a study that bus conductors standing all day had only half the risk of experiencing a heart disease-related death compared to those who sat in driver’s seats.
Since that time, scientists have gained a much better understanding of the effects that sitting has on heart health. It is thought that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing heart disease by as much as 147%.
This effect is so harmful that even exercising intensely for an hour might not make up for the negative impacts that come with sitting all day long.
Spending more time standing up is definitely beneficial for your heart health.