The Power of Computer Ergonomics

Forty plus hours a week sitting at your computer can be hazardous to your health. It is important to consider computer ergonomics to reduce the risk of painful back, eye, and wrist injury. Ergonomics, by definition, is the fit between the people, the tools they use, and the physical setting where they work. A more comfortable definition might be…. “Fit the work to the user instead of forcing the user to fit the work.”

It is time to protect your health from the hazards of poor posture and eye strain by putting a computer ergonomics plan in place. Here are a few ideas that it may be beneficial to consider to help ease the strain to your body of working long hours at a time on the computer.

1. Indirect lighting. Use indirect lighting to reduce the glare on the computer screen. Working in a well lit room, using either artificial or natural light improves working conditions. Insure that your computer is turned away from windows; this will minimize glare.

2. Avoid eye strain. Keep the top edge of your monitor at eye level or slightly below so that you are able to look down slightly as you read from your monitor. The monitor should be 20 – 30 inches away from your eyes. Rest your eyes periodically, approximately every 20 minutes, by focusing on a distant object and blinking often, to remoisten the eyes.

3. Pneumatic chair. Use a pneumatically operated chair that fully adjusts for seat height and tilt, back height and tilt, and with arm rests that have continuous height adjustments. Your chair is very important to your posture and comfort while you sit and work for long periods of time.
4. Proper posture. Your feet should be flat on the floor, your knees should be comfortably bent at a right angle, and your back should be straight.

5. Wrist and elbow strain. Your wrists should never be higher than you elbows, they should be straight, not flexed upward or bent downward. To make sure that you have your wrists and elbows in the correct position check that the desk is not too high or the chair too low. Make adjustments for comfort.

6. Mouse position. Keep your mouse a comfortable distance from the keyboard so you do not have to reach to use it. Use a mouse pad with a padded wrist rest; this prevents the heel of your hand from leaning on the desk, causing strain.

Take a look at your office, desk, and computer set up now; do a computer ergonomics analysis to determine what you can do to prevent stresses and strains to your body and improve your work environment. Implementing any one of these great ideas will greatly improve your comfort and reduce the strain on your body while you work. Put an ergonomics plan in place to protect your health. The benefits will be felt by your whole body.

It is summer time and what better way to spend your time then out in the sun. But what people do not know is that to totally enjoy all that summer has to offer we first must cover up from the harmful UV rays that the sun is shining down upon us. Every time we step outside on a sunny day our skin is being bombarded by UV rays that, over time, can cause serious skin damage and even skin cancer.

One of the main causes of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV rays). These rays are invisible, and are produced by the sun. Most often skin cancer is the result of overexposing your skin to the sun. UV rays cause this skin cancer because they create changes in the skin cells; tans and sunburns are direct examples of this. Most cases of skin cancer are preventable, and you can reduce the risk of yourself getting skin cancer by taking some simple yet extremely important steps. Select shaded areas for outdoor activities; wear clothing that will cover up your arms and legs; or apply sunblock to the areas of your skin that might be exposed to the sun.

If you are not sure what coverage to use, for example sunblock or protective clothing, it is best to go with the latter. Wearing protective clothing is one of the most effective ways to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Unlike sunscreen, protective clothing can give you continuous protection throughout the day, and you don’t have to deal with the oiliness that sunblocks and sunscreens leave behind on your skin. There are special companies, like Sunveil Protective Clothing for instance, that manufacture protective clothing that will still let your body breath with out suffocating you under long sleeves and pants.

So if you are out in the sun enjoying the heat, don’t forget to cover up and protect your skin from those harmful UV rays!!

At some time or other in our lives, nearly everybody will experience difficulties with their sleep. The causes can vary greatly from a physical problem, such as toothache or a bad back, or nervous anticipation about an approaching event, such as giving a presentation, or going on a trip. Or it may just be something out of your control such as a noisy neighbour.

Insomnia may take different forms. Some people will get a solid 8 hours sleep but still awake feeling tired and restless. Others may not be able to fall asleep for many hours and just lie there tossing and turning trying to fall asleep and making their insomnia worse. And others will fall asleep quickly and wake up an hour or two later and be unable to drop off again. The variations in the types of insomnia are huge and are often unique to the particular individual.

Everybody has a natural ability to have a regular, deep, long and healthy sleep. Frequently sleep problems are caused by a disruption to this natural cycle, and the establishment of a new disrupted pattern.

We do not all need the same amount of sleep, in fact it varies greatly from individual to individual. Some people may need only five or six hours, where as others may need eight or nine. The important thing is not the length of time asleep, but the quality of the sleep you are getting. If you awake completely refreshed and rejuvenated then you are getting enough sleep.

Sleeping pills and medications can help you get through a temporary sleeping difficulty, but prescription drugs can sometimes exacerbate your insomnia. Also sleeping pills do not always allow the deep quality of sleep that your body, and mind, requires. Drugs can inhibit your REM sleep. REM is short for ‘rapid eye movement’ and it is during REM sleep that we are dreaming. A reduction in rapid eye movement sleep has been associated with anxiety, irritability and short tempers.

If you are having difficulties with your sleep then it is a problem with your programming, the habits that your mind has slipped into. Your mind is like a computer and when your learn how to do something, any new skill, it is stored in your unconscious. This is a habit, and problems with insomnia are due to a bad habit you have formed.

Therefore the secret to curing your insomnia is to form a new, natural and healthy sleeping habit. And this is where hypnotherapy can help. Hypnosis bypasses your conscious mind and enables you (you, not the hypnotherapist) to re-programme your subconscious.

Also as hypnosis is based on relaxing the body and the mind, learning this skill alone can help many people overcome their sleep problems. As you learn and practise self-hypnosis gradually your sleep pattern will return to a healthy and natural state and your health and mood will improve!