How Can Gamers Benefit from Using a Standing Desk?
Today’s amazing innovations have brought us exciting things to try and enjoy. For instance, PC gamers spend long nights and several hours in a day playing their favourite games. However, even though the fun and enjoyment games are offering us some crucial things that seem to be disregarded. One of these is the risk of sitting while we play for long hours. It may sound that this is the most comfortable position while playing PC and mobile games, but unfortunately, it is not.
Come to think of it. The longer we sit, we hunch over and keep our necks towards the screen- all leading to poor posture. We also bend our wrists, stretch our backs, and others at awkward angles. That explains why after playing, we feel pain in the muscles, neck, arms, and legs.
It must be understood that we’re not only winning the battle against the enemy in our gaming experience, but we are combatting the perils of it to our health. The longer the time we remained seated in front of the gaming device, the duller our senses can become. We lost the sense of focus that’s why we get distracted easily in doing other practical tasks. For some gamers, it’s already late they discover that they’re already having health issues because of sitting for long hours.
But sitting is not that terrible…
Of course, let’s not put all the blame to sitting. There also advantages it brings to gamers. One main benefit you can get is stability — a stable and consistent posture aid in achieving specific muscle movements. Especially if you sit in a good gaming chair, your hand positions and posture will stay connected to the gaming computer’s dashboard. Besides, because the gamer need not move his/her body too much, he/she can perform various gaming techniques and actions fast and accurately. For some people, sitting can make the gamer to feel sleepy, but it works the other way. Just a cup of coffee or energy drinks and some players can play the games successfully for long hours.
The Perils of Sitting
Here’s the not-so-good news for gamers who prefer sitting while playing. There are adverse effects of sitting, and they must be given proper attention. Although you may say that you’re already comfortable playing games while sitting, you’ll still need to consider its dangers.
Below are some of the adverse effects of sitting and how it can be a threat to your health:
#Long hours of sitting results in poor posture.
A bad posture can limit your capacity to perform daily activities. Sitting for long hours can bring you discomfort because stress can be put on your joints, tendons, and back. Also, it will cause your body to be not appropriately aligned and eventually turns to muscular imbalances. Furthermore, sitting can damage the whole posture of the body and may even break your intervertebral disc. This is not only painful but will affect the overall functioning of your body.
# Sitting can cause you to have excess body fat.
Since your body is not making more movements while sitting, the accumulation of fat in your body is possible. As a lot of people strive to stay fit by reducing fats in their body, often they overlook that long hours of sitting can store them up instead. Worse, the extra fat often is accumulated around the waist area. This can be dangerous because this excess fat can cause high blood pressure which can lead to a heart attack. That’s why it’s vital that we do physical activities regularly. Simple activities such as walking and using stairs instead of the elevator can bring considerable benefits to your health.
#Sitting causes tiredness in neck and back muscles.
If you sit for a single position for a long time, then the muscles mainly in the neck and back will feel tired. Due to the tensions in the tissues on these body parts, the blood flow weakens which results in reduced nutrient and oxygen intake of the bones, ligaments, and discs. Unfortunately, that cause the tiredness and discomfort that can felt by some regions of the body.
Aside from refraining from sitting for long hours, we can also prevent the mentioned tiredness by tilting the head forward to avoid neck injury. On the other hand, to stop back pains, you should sit with no lumbar support, or you can do some stretching exercises.
# Sitting causes poor breathing due to reduced lung efficiency
Another disadvantage of sitting on a chair for several is the tendency to experience difficulty in breathing. Since oxygen is needed for the body to function efficiently, this needs to combine with the blood. The lungs are responsible for purifying the blood and receiving a good supply of oxygen. Sitting can be the reason for poor blood circulation as well as failures in the other organs of the body.
# Sitting is proven to increase the risk of heart diseases and diabetes
Because sitting can affect how the heart pumps blood to aid better circulation, it can also be the cause of heart diseases and diabetes. Long hours of sitting results in abnormal levels of cholesterol. When not adequately treated promptly, this can lead to a heart attack. This is due to the blockage of the oxygen supply to the heart and failure of the heart muscles. There is some research which suggested that individuals who always sit during their work or while playing games are more prone to a heart attack. In case you still prefer to sit while playing, then it is advised to take some few minutes to have a break.
# Sitting can cause serious digestive problems
To perform our daily tasks, we need food to fuel up our body. Digestion serves as a vital process because the food we intake must be appropriately digested and distributed to every cell the nutrients it needed. Without this process, the body will not be able to get the nutrition required to function effectively. However, sitting can hinder the process and negatively affect the digestive system. Some issues such as constipation, dehydration, and other problems can be caused by too long hours of sitting. This is because the body does not have enough movements to aid in the digestion process. That is why we must avoid that practice and make sure to drink lots of liquid if your daily activities require sitting. Of course, you also need to perform regular exercise to assure the proper digestion of our foods.
#Sitting can cause joint pain and back pain
Our back needs proper attention since it is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body. Chronic back pain affects eight out of 10 people. It is prone to acute pain since we put stress on it especially when sitting for many hours on the chair. Contrary to the common belief that back pain can only affect the old people, it is now affecting younger individuals due to their lifestyle. Employees often spend their whole day in their office doing computer works while sitting and youngsters remained seated in a repetitive position while playing games. Such conditions need to be given a thorough analysis because the more you get used to it, the bigger the risks of you acquiring joint pain and back pain.
#Sitting can cause eye strain and irritability
Our eyes are vital parts of our body that they need the proper care they deserve. However, sitting for more extended hours can affect the ciliary muscles causing it to get tired and experience eye strain. If this continues to happen, then they can be irritated, and you will experience discomfort. Eye strain results in a headache. That’s the reason why sitting is said to affect head pain indirectly. The most effective method to get rid of the problem due to eye strain is to wash your eyes with cold water regularly. That will help the ciliary muscles to relax.
#Sitting increases the risk of getting cancer
Cancer is a deadly disease that is getting rampant today. It’s affecting a large number of population, and its treatment can be too costly. Studies have shown that cancer can be caused by the lack of physical activities and prolonged time of sitting. Some studies also claim that sitting for prolonged hours can increase the prone to having colon and breast cancer. This disease can be prevented if people can become engaged with doing physical activities such as doing yoga and exercise. Of course, a proper diet and regular exercise will be of great assistance.
Standing for Gamers: Why is it Better than Standing?
Why is standing can be better than sitting while playing your favourite game? Some gamers may be thinking that standing can also mean sacrificing the comfort they can are used to while playing. Isn’t it better to have an exciting game while staying healthy as well?
That answers that lingering question why standing can be better for gamers. There are a lot of health benefits that you can gain. Especially if you are going to use quality standing desks for gaming, you can have an amazing and better experience. There is a chance of reducing the risks of acquiring disease because circulation is improved.
Nowadays, standing desks are creating names in the field of work and gaming fields. Not only because they are breakthroughs that need to be introduced but because they are creating a significant improvement in health and lifestyle condition.
The Perks of Using Standing Desks
If you’re still hesitant with how standing desks can help you, then the following list can convince you.
#Standing desks enhance your focus and keep you engaged in the game.
If you’ve been sitting for more extended periods, you will be experiencing discomfort, muscle tension, and restlessness. For sure, all these are big distractions to your techniques and actions in the game. While sitting, you can think that you’re on your most comfortable position, but doing so will deprive you of getting up to do something else, and you need to pause the game.
With a standing desk, you will be able to stretch your legs, move, and do something while still winning the game. Playing PC games while standing lets you to keep engaged and motivated because you are free to copy the movements of your character. The more you can mimic how they move to use their strategies, the more zest you can give for the play. Also, standing is also related to better focus and productivity since there will be a good blood circulation to your brain. You will have a seamless and fun gaming experience while you learn more and eventually will play better.
#2 You’ll have an improved health condition while building your game character.
Every player wants to be level up and be on top of their game. However, there’s no need to neglect your health while playing your character. Your wellness also matters. When you choose to stand while playing, you can avoid health risks such as weight gain, neck pain, brain fog, muscle strain, poor digestion, and others.
Besides, standing for at least 25% of your time daily will impact in reducing the peril of acquiring chronic illnesses and issues with metabolism. This also aids in alleviating pains in back and neck. That’s absolutely a significant reason why you should switch to a standing desk for gaming.
#3 You’ll be able to customize your gaming setup, the way you prefer it.
Standing desks are an excellent choice for gaming since they are adjustable and customizable. If your legs are too tired due to prolonged standing, then you can adjust to lower the desk for a seating position. The same goes if you feel antsy and would like to stand. Standing desks come with various customization tools and accessories. They include laptop mounts and mats which can also add to a fantastic game experience. It’s another way of putting your gaming style into a new level.
#4 You can limit your playing time and work on other stuff.
When you’re playing while sitting, several hours can let go and feels like minutes. Indeed, you can immerse yourself in the game itself, and it’s challenging to get away from it. You can quickly lose track of time, and it’s not beneficial after all. On the other hand, playing while standing makes you feel aware of the passing time and you can still work on other important stuff that you should be doing.
Keeping track of time can help you make better decisions and will come up with time management. With that, you can also apply smart techniques to the game itself. The result: the best gaming experience and while keeping your health at its optimum condition!
Make sure to choose the best standing desks for your gaming setup. Consider factors such as comfort, quality, and high-end features. It will also be a great idea if you can find a reliable company offering some of the most renowned standing desk brands in the market.