Pros of a standing desk set-up, according to science

After your 8 to 5 grind, you might be having some serious back pains because of sitting too long at that chair. No matter how comfy your swivel or work chair is long hours of sitting down may have harmful effects on your health. How can you counter these side effects? The simple answer is, stand up while working! A standing desk is basically a desk that allows you to stand up comfortably while working. There are numerous versions available, many are adjustable so you can change the height of the desk. In this way, you can alternate between sitting and standing.

Pros of a standing desk set-up, according to science

Research about standing desks is still in the early stages. However, it seems that using one can have significant benefits on one’s health. It may also increase productivity, and who doesn’t want that? According to science, there are other benefits of using standing desks instead of the traditional ones:

May lower your risk of weight gain and obesity

While diet and exercise are the most effective ways to burn calories quickly, simply choosing to stand instead of sitting can also be beneficial. In fact, using a standing desk during your afternoon work allows your body to burn more than 170 calories. Well, that’s almost 1000 extra calories burned weekly just by standing!

May reduce blood sugar levels

In general, blood sugar spiking after meals might be dangerous for your health. This is quite true, especially for those who are suffering from insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. There’s a small study in which 10 office workers stood for 180 minutes after lunch. After that, their blood sugar spike lessened by 43%, compared to those sitting for the same amount of time.

May minimize your backaches

We’ve all been there, sitting for too long just to beat those deadlines. Then after standing up, we feel that pain on our shoulders and lower back. Back pain is one of the most common complaints of office workers who sit all day.

Many researchers investigated if standing desks can answer this dilemma of long-term back pain. CDC published a study that discovered the use of a sit-stand desk reduced upper back and neck pain by 54 percent, after 4 weeks. Aside from that, removing sit-stand desks reversed some of those progress within 2 weeks.

May result in better mood and energy levels

Not in the mood to work? Well, using standing desks can have a positive influence on your well-being. During the seven-week research, participants used standing desks. They said they experienced less stressed and tired, compared to those who sat the whole workday. In addition to this, 87 percent of them told that it boosted their vigor and energy.

May increase productivity

You might worry that standing desks may hinder your daily tasks. While standing each afternoon may take some getting used to, standing desks won’t affect common work tasks. There’s a research wherein 60 young employees used standing desks for 4 hours each day. The result? It had no impact on characters typed per minute or typing errors. If standing improves mood and energy as well, using a standing desk is more likely to boost productivity rather than hinder it.