Ms. Career Girl

Top Menu

  • Home
  • Media
  • About
    • Terms of Use & Copyright Notice
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • PR and FTC Disclosure
  • Subscribe

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Careers
    • Productivity
    • Career Confessions
    • #SideHustle
    • Job Search Advice
    • Resume Optimization Tool
    • Job Board
  • Lifestyle
    • Life After College
    • Health & Beauty
    • Style
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Product Reviews
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Working Moms
  • Specials
    • Real Career Girls
    • Style Your Life
    • Book Club
    • Giveaways
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
    • Terms of Use & Copyright Notice
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • PR and FTC Disclosure
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Careers
    • Productivity
    • Career Confessions
    • #SideHustle
    • Job Search Advice
    • Resume Optimization Tool
    • Job Board
  • Lifestyle
    • Life After College
    • Health & Beauty
    • Style
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Product Reviews
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Working Moms
  • Specials
    • Real Career Girls
    • Style Your Life
    • Book Club
    • Giveaways
Work
Home›Work›How Does Your Office Space Impact Your Health?

How Does Your Office Space Impact Your Health?

By Maria Bashi
Jun 17, 2022
129
0
Share:

It took many years of evolution to get what is now known as the modern office space, and many trends have come and gone. However, no matter the style, there’s a possible impact on your health and wellbeing. And considering that a person will spend approximately 90,000 hours in an office, it’s necessary to design an appropriate office space that increases functionality and productivity. Below is a discussion on how an office space affects your health.

Bad office chairs: increased risk of back, neck, and shoulder pain

A 2019 Georgetown research on employees discovered that four million people live with chronic back and shoulder pain. Their findings also indicated that this same group associated these specific health concerns with the lack of proper office chairs. Not all office chairs are the same; the more quality ones are created with ergonomic designs purposely meant to provide spine support.

Apart from protecting the backbone, ergonomic chairs offer adequate neck and shoulders support. Those designed with armrests allow the user to relax their elbows at healthy angles with the shoulder and upper body. Any deviation from this increases the risk of muscle tension, leading to discomfort. Thankfully, several retail furniture shops often have office chairs on sale and in different price ranges. All you have to do is ensure that the designs align with the spine’s shape. Additionally, ensure that the ergonomic chair has features that allow a user to adjust the height, backrest angle, and seat depth.

Poor lighting: Long-term vision problems and increased melatonin

The human eye can detect light at a minimum of 10−10W/m2 (watt per square meter). This means, naturally, the eyes are made to see even in reduced lighting. However, continuous exposure to low lighting is unhealthy and can lead to long-term vision problems. When light penetrates the eye, it goes through the cornea by using the pupil as a conduit. The lens adjusts to accommodate light hitting the retina. Indeed, it is a complex network of adjustments and reflection. 

In poor lighting, your eyes have to work overtime to function. Unfortunately, this results in eye strain and blurry vision. Eventually, you may experience dry and irritated eyes too often. Another effect of poor lighting is the stimulation and release of melatonin, a sleep hormone. The last thing you want to do is feel sleepy when you should be working. This is why office spaces are better fitted with GE sun-filled LED bulbs to mimic natural daylight. 

Poor office ventilation: Increased respiratory issues and headaches

Things like poor office designs, dirty vents, and windows can impact the quality of indoor air. Sometimes, the problem stems from poor planning in the building construction stages. However, even that can be rectified with the right structural engineers. The risk of respiratory problems like allergies, shortness of breath, dry throat, etc., can be greatly increased here. You are also more likely to experience headaches in a poorly ventilated office.

For all these reasons, evaluating your current office space and how it affects your health is vital.

Tagsoffice space
Previous Article

How to Fight Your Termination

Next Article

5 Things to Consider When Returning to ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0

Maria Bashi

Related articles More from author

  • FeaturedProductivityWork

    Approaching Your Boss about Changing Your Office Space

    Mar 23, 2015
    By Samantha Stauf
  • office space
    Productivity

    Why Your Office Space Needs To Be More Than Just Functional

    Jun 5, 2017
    By Maria Bashi
  • office space
    Work

    How to Make the Most of Your Ground Floor Office Space

    Nov 19, 2018
    By Maria Bashi
  • Career ConfessionsLife After CollegeSelfWork

    A Tale of High Achieving Career Ladies

    Oct 24, 2013
    By Ms. Career Girl
  • work in sales
    Life After CollegeSelfWork

    Why an entry level sales job is a great way to kickoff your career

    Dec 15, 2013
    By Ms. Career Girl
  • Find a Career
    #SideHustleLife After CollegeSelfWork

    Get a Modern Day Career Path Dream Catcher

    Feb 7, 2014
    By Ms. Career Girl

  • Career ConfessionsLife After CollegeSelfWork

    A Tale of High Achieving Career Ladies

  • work in sales
    Life After CollegeSelfWork

    Why an entry level sales job is a great way to kickoff your career

  • Find a Career
    #SideHustleLife After CollegeSelfWork

    Get a Modern Day Career Path Dream Catcher

Subscribe

Job Search

As seen on

career advice blog badge oriel badge

Featured On

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Resume Optimization Tool
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© Copyright 2021 Ms Career Girl