Headaches have never been fun. It's important we get to the root cause right away to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering. There are many factors that have been linked to headaches: stress, muscular tension, dental or jaw problems, infections, diet, eye problems, hormonal influences and/or medications. And while we can't possibly determine the solution to all causes in this blog post, we can focus on one of the most likely.
Poor Ergonomics linked to Headaches
In 2010, the University of Bergen in Norway and a team of international researchers found that screen-based activities were consistently associated with recurrent headaches in adolescents. They also suggest that the type of screen time (e.g. computer, TV, smartphone, tablet) is not as much a factor as is the duration and ergonomic aspects of the activity. Check out the study here.
Six Ergonomic Tips to Decrease Headaches from Screen Time:
Head and Neck Mobility
Is your screen too high or too low? Too left or too right? If so, you are placing extra strain on your neck muscles as they try to hold your head up or down for extended periods. Change the height of your screen so that the top of your screen is level with your eyes. You can accomplish this by raising or lowering your height-adjustable monitor, using a height-adjustable monitor stand or a few books to raise your monitor, using an external keyboard with your laptop so that you can raise the screen of your laptop, or using a stand for your phone or tablet. One thing that should be noted for bifocal, trifocal, or progressive lens wearers is that the top of the screen should be 2-3 inches lower than your eyes so that you don’t have to tilt your head up to read the screen.
Screen Distance
It depends on the person, but a general rule of thumb for computer use is having the screen an arm’s length away from you. Of course, this is going to depend on your eyes and if you wear glasses or not. What you want to do is not have the screen so close that you strain your eyes, but not have it too far away so that you’re leaning in to see the screen. Leaning in towards your screen puts extra pressure on your neck and in turn can cause headaches.
Lighting
Not too dark and not too light, just like Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears. Overhead lights and sun from the windows can cause glare which can cause eye discomfort which can cause headaches. It’s also important not to work in a dark room with a screen. The contrast between the dark room and the light screen is tough on your eyes. Also having too much or too little light emitting from your computer can be a problem. Play with the brightness settings on your monitor to increase or decrease light from your screen.
Body Positioning
This is the most important tip in my opinion. Proper posture is always important so make sure you are sitting up straight, back resting on the backrest of your chair, and elbows at 90 degrees of flexion when you are using your keyboard. If your keyboard is too high, you will activate one of the neck muscles, the trapezius and also cause elbow and wrist pain (Carpal Tunnel). Continuous trapezius activation is associated with neck and upper shoulder pain, which then lead to more headaches.
When using your laptop, recline on the couch or bed with pillows supporting your head all the way down your spine to your low back. Make sure to put a pillow under your laptop so that you are not looking down.
Positioning while using a tablet can be improved by using a stand or pillow props to prevent your head from angling down towards the device.
Smartphone use cannot be readily adjusted, so smartphone users need to adhere to frequent rest breaks from their phones – aim for no longer than 15 minutes at a time.
Rest Breaks
Stand or walk for 1-2 minutes every hour to alleviate body cramping. It takes 60 minutes of repetitive activity for your body to form trigger points. Use the research and GET UP before 60 minutes.
Use the 20-20-20 Rule
When using your screens give your eyes a break. Use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus your eyes on something at least 20 feet away.
Comments