Staying Comfortable at Home: The Importance of Support in Seating Design

Have you started working from home? If so, you’re going to need a home office to operate out of. Many elects to work on their couch but this isn’t the best idea.

Not only will working from your couch do a number on your back but it will encourage you to slack off. You won’t be able to get a thing done. It’s time to learn a little bit about ergonomics and why it’s important in your seating design.

Every seat in your home should offer some type of lumbar support. Not only your office chair. Check out this guide to learn more.

What is Ergonomics?

Before we get into what makes a home office chair supportive, let’s take a look at what ergonomics are. Ergonomics is how things are made to best suit a person’s health.

An ergonomic chair, for instance, is created to support the back and neck. They even work to help someone correct their posture gradually. This keeps back pain away and makes working in an office setting much better for your body.

What Makes a Chair Ergonomic?

So, what makes an economic design? What features does an ergonomic office chair offer? The answer is a lot.

Here are a few things that you should be looking for when you go shopping for your new seat.

Height of the Seat

You want to choose a seat that’s adjustable as far as height goes. If you can’t put your feet on the floor while you work, the chair is too high. About 16 to 21 inches is most people’s sweet spot.

Remember, if all else fails, get a chair that’s too low for you. You can always install a gel cushion seat that will help support your back and give you a little bit of height.

Width and Depth

The backs of your knees should be able to rest at least 2 inches away from the edge of your seat. Any less than that and you’ll be putting unnecessary strain on your legs.

Tilt

You should consider picking up a chair that allows the seat to tilt. If you position it where you can sit at an 80-degree angle, your pelvis will be at the ideal alignment position.

If you neglect this feature, you may develop posture problems later on in your life.

Lumbar Support

The most important feature of any ergonomic chair is lumbar support. Without it, you won’t be able to keep the right posture. Your spine won’t be supported and you’ll slump.

After a while of this, you’ll wind up with back problems that only a trip to a chiropractor’s office can fix. Of course, the chair can only do so much. You’ve got to put in some effort on your part as well.

Make sure that you sit up straight with your feet against the floor. The top of your computer screen should be eye level with you. Don’t slouch and keep your neck nice and relaxed.

Your arms should stay parallel to the floor and avoid crossing your legs. You don’t want to limit blood flow. We will warn you that sitting like this will be awkward at first but it is necessary.

Backrest

You want every part of your chair to be adjustable. This includes the backrest. You should be able to adjust it throughout the day to take a bit of pressure off your spine when needed.

Swivel

You shouldn’t have to reach far across your desk whenever you need something. You should just be able to grab it. That’s what the swivel feature is for.

You’ll be able to turn your chair however you need to get to your stuff. No more straining your arms!

Armrest

Having an armrest allows you to relax your tense shoulders. This releases pressure throughout the entire upper part of your body. We will say that you should avoid using an armrest if you’re typing away at your keyboard.

Placing your arms on the armrest while you type will cause you to overuse your wrists. This will put a strain on all your arm muscles and cause pain after a long day of typing up files.

Headrest

The headrest’s role on your chair is sort of obvious. It supports your head and neck and takes the strain off your entire upper body. Just make sure that you’re able to actually rest your head on it.

Comfortable Materials

Ergonomic chairs can be uncomfortable because they force you to correct your posture. This doesn’t mean that you should have to hate sitting in it though.

It should be made of some kind of cushy material that doesn’t make you overheat and sweat while you’re sitting. A lot of ergonomic chairs use high-end leather. It’s expensive but kind of worth it.

The Wheels

What wheels you spring for all depend on what kind of floor you have in your home office. If it’s hardwood, rubber wheels are going to be your go-to.

If the floor is carpeted, hard wheels will allow you to move around the room without straining yourself.

The Importance of Supportive Seating Design

No matter if you’re working from home or you’re trying wind down with an evening full of games, you need to use a chair that has a supportive seating design. It will feel awkward because it forces you to sit at a good posture but it’s worth it in the end when you’re not suffering from back pain. Make the switch to an ergonomic chair today and see the difference.

Now that your office is set up for the ultimate in comfort, it’s time to do the rest of your house. Check out our blog daily to get a few ideas.