Very few of us work in an environment where it’s unlikely that something will go wrong with our health. Even sitting in an office can have its health problems, so don’t think that you’re exempt from pain just because you’re not a manual labourer. Unfortunately, most of us will experience some form of health problems during our working lives, and many people don’t try to solve the problems until it’s too late. Whether you’re experienced health problems at work yet or not, here are some of the most common ones and what you can do about them.
- Sitting down for too long
You might think that nothing could possibly go wrong if you’re sitting down all day at a computer or behind a desk. However, there are plenty of things that can happen if you’re sat down for long periods of time each day. One of the biggest problems that can be caused is heart disease, which can lead to even more serious issues. Slower metabolisms have also been the result of sitting for too long each day. In order to prevent any problems occurring because of this, set an alarm to go off every hour or so and have a walk around the office. Talking just a couple of minutes to get up and move around can make a big difference, and if you do this every hour for all the days you’re in the office, you won’t have to worry as much about the common problems caused. If you normally drive to work, consider taking the bus or train so that you can walk around more and get some extra exercise in.
- Eye strain
Even if you’ve got great lighting in your office, you can still suffer from eye strain. You don’t have to be sat in an office to get eye strain either. Teachers often suffer from eye problems after evenings of marking work which has been handed in by the students. However, one of the main causes of eye strain is when you’re looking at a computer for long periods of time. A lot of us spend hours staring at screens even when we’re not at work, so this is good for everybody to be aware of. Rather than having lights which shine down onto the screen and increase the amount of glare, you should have smaller lights on either side of the screen. This is the same if you’re reading a book or tablet. You should never sit too close to the computer, or hold your face too close to the book you’re reading. When typing or reading on a computer, increase the font rather than moving closer to the screen. Sit up and use reading glasses if necessary, and this will reduce the amount of strain your eyes are being put under.
- Back pain
This is particularly important if you have poor posture in the first place. Sitting down for lengthy periods of time with bad posture will greatly increase the chances of you suffering from back pains. A lot of people with poor posture experience back ache very early on in their career, and sorting the problem out sooner rather than later to save you a lot of trouble. Go and see a chiropractor if you’re worried about any problems related to your back. Chiropractors are qualified professionals who will be able to give you exercises and techniques to ease your back pains. In the work place and at home, you can put a cushion at the bottom of your back in order to release any tension and pain which you might feel there.
- Common illnesses
In many work places, the staff are constantly coming into contact with other people. It might be your work colleagues, the customers or children in a nursery or school, but whoever it is, they are all carrying germs that are easily spread. It only takes one person to come into work with a cold or flu and many more people could become infected. While there’s nothing you can do to fully prevent anything happening to you, you can decrease the chances of catching something by washing your hands regularly throughout the day and eating a healthy diet in order to build up your immune system against viruses.
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