You don’t notice it right away, but if, for example, you spend hours in front of your PC every day, the first physical complaints can appear over time. And you don’t always get rid of that quickly. We give tips and tools that can help you to enable healthy computing.
Tip 01: Chance
There are several symptoms that indicate incorrect computer use. Usually the term rsi is used for this, an abbreviation that stands for repetitive strain injuries. It mainly concerns all kinds of arm, neck and shoulder complaints, such as tendonitis, mouse arm and carpal tunnel syndrome (pinched nerve between forearm and hand). This term suggests that many complaints are due to the repetitive nature of certain movements, such as working with the mouse. But sitting still for a long time in the same position can also be taxing. It impedes the blood circulation locally, so that waste products can accumulate and cause inflamed muscles. Another term for these symptoms, which is actually more correct from a medical point of view, is ‘chance’, which stands for complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder. Back problems can also occur, especially due to a prolonged bad sitting position. Or think of eye problems, such as eye strain. Fortunately, there are all kinds of practical tips and tools to prevent such complaints.
Tip 02: PC attitude
Later in this article, we mainly focus on software tools to avoid chance-related complaints. But what you can do yourself is to observe some general guidelines regarding your computer posture. That starts with your sitting position. Make sure you have a good chair with armrests. This chair should support your back perceptibly in a relaxed, but more or less upright posture. Place both feet flat on the floor, using a footrest if necessary. If necessary, you can use a lumbar roller or back cushion at the height of your lower back (from about 20 euros), or first try with a rolled up towel to see if it feels nice.
It’s also important that you keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle as you type. Keep both elbows close to your body and your forearms parallel to the floor. To force you to keep your wrists straight, you can use an ergonomic keyboard and/or wrist rest that relieves the vertical pressure on the wrists (from about 20 euros). Also keep the mouse as close to the keyboard as possible and possibly use a slightly raised mouse pad that compensates for the difference in height. There are also ergonomic mouse pads with a built-in wrist rest. Or teach yourself to operate the mouse with the other hand after a few weeks, so that you don’t always strain the same hand.
Tip 03: Screen position
We’re not quite there yet, because the distance to and height of your monitor(s) is also important, both for your eyes and for your sitting position. Position your screen(s) about an arm’s length from your body, typically 50 to 60 cm, so that the top edge of the screen is approximately level with your eyebrows. In practice, many screens appear to be positioned too low, which quickly leads to a leaning forward sitting position. Depending on the incidence of light in the workspace, you may also want to tilt the monitor upwards slightly. If you frequently read documents while typing, use a document holder. Ideally, you should also place it at eye level, as close to the screen as possible. Or you can place it under the screen, against your keyboard, if you occasionally have to take notes.
It’s also best to follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for at least 20 seconds.
Tip 04: OSD Configuration
Adjust the contrast and brightness of your monitor optimally, so that the image is about as bright as a white sheet of paper that you hold next to it.
The color temperature of your monitor is also important. It is expressed in degrees Kelvin, on a scale of 1000K to 10,000K. During the day you should preferably keep the color temperature ‘cool’ at approximately 6500K, while in the evening and at night you prefer to set it a bit warmer, around 3400K. Your monitor will then emit less blue light, since that light can have a negative influence on your sleep.
With most monitors you can adjust brightness, contrast and color temperature via a button and a built-in OSD (on screen display) menu, but most screens can also be adjusted from an app as NirSoft ControlMyMonitor set, including from the command prompt. You will find many examples of this on the website and the program is available in Dutch. This tool also has the advantage that you can export multiple configurations that you can quickly set up again later.
Tip 05: Color Temperature
Windows 10 now also has a function that allows you to automatically adjust the color temperature based on the time. For that you go to Settings / System / Display / Night Light Settings. click on Enable now and move the slider to see the effect of a warmer color temperature. Then turn it off again and give the option Set hours yourself at what time you want to switch this function on and off. Whether you choose Sunset to sunrise if you want that to happen automatically. This night light feature is quite useful, but pretty basic. Free software like the lightbulb and for sure f.lux offer slightly more options. We will delve a little deeper into the latter. After installation and a restart of your computer, you will find the tool in the system tray, where you can use Change location enter your place of residence or a neighboring city. Click on the blue dot to go through a 24-hour cycle very quickly in a simulation. Normally state Recommended colors selected, but in the drop-down menu you will find options such as Reduce Eyestrain and Color Fidelity. Feel free to try them out in combination with the simulation. Via the option Disable in the context menu you can undo the color temperature adjustment, for example for an hour or for
Adjust the color temperature of your screen, because this also affects your well-being
Tip 06: Optimization
By now you have optimally set the contrast, brightness and color temperature, but it also has a tiring effect on your eyes if the letters are not displayed sharply. There too Windows its own function. Press the Windows key, tap clear type and start the wizard Customize ClearType text. Place a check next to Enable ClearType and press Next one. If you work with multiple screens, you indicate whether you want to configure the display on a specific screen or (in succession) of all screens. You now have to answer a number of questions about, among other things, the screen resolution and the best readable text example. Afterwards, the text display is optimized for your eyes.
If you think the letters are too small, you can make them larger in Windows. Go to Settings / Accessibility / Display and move the slider at Make text bigger and possibly also at Make everything bigger until everything looks optimal for you. You can also refine the color and contrast effect here. You do that in the sections Color filters and High Contrast.
Tip 07: EasyFWD
The monitor settings are now optimal and you also pay attention to the correct sitting position. Then there is one more thing to pay attention to: take regular breaks and ideally also perform some targeted exercises during such breaks. This of course requires the necessary discipline, but luckily there are programs that help you with this.
One of them is the Dutch EasyFWD. After filling in some details you will receive a download link with license code. The installation only takes a few mouse clicks. By default, EasyFWD starts automatically with Windows and from the system tray you can: Dashboard view a risk analysis. This indicates how much risk (on RSI and related factors) you run based on the computer time spent and the number of breaks you take. In the section Statistics you can also read how many keystrokes and mouse clicks you have performed. There is also the section Exercises where you can choose from nine short, physical exercises. You can at Settings / Pause Settings You can also indicate yourself how often EasyFWD lets you take breaks and how long they should last. You can choose between Hard and Soft: the first prevents you from continuing to work, the second only shows a countdown timer. During the breaks you can watch the latest news or perform one of the available exercises.
A program like Workrave forces you to take ‘healthy’ breaks
Tip 08: Workrave
Another program from Dutch origin is Workrave, which has been available for Windows and Linux for many years (click here on Latest and then the exe program for Windows). After installation, a tiny window pops up in which you can read how long it takes before a micro-break, rest break and daily limit are reached. A micropause lasts 30 seconds by default and starts every 3 minutes. A decreasing counter will then appear. A rest break occurs every 45 minutes and lasts 10 minutes. Three, sometimes animated, exercises will appear in succession in a window. The daily limit is set to 4 hours by default. A window will then appear from which you can lock or turn off the PC.
Of course, all these breaks can be adjusted yourself and you can also postpone or skip the notifications. In the first case, Workrave will offer that break again later, based on the delay time you set. Almost all options can be adjusted from Preferences, an option in the context menu of the program icon in the system tray. Here you will also find the section Network, from which you can run Workrave in a true network mode, allowing you to save the breaks for other devices in your (home) network can be centrally controlled.
Mobile Devices
Ergonomics is not only important for those who sit in front of a PC, but also for those who frequently use mobile devices. We give a number of tips for a better posture that can help prevent the risk of RSI-like complaints.
Try to stand or sit up while texting and texting by holding the device about chin height. If you keep the device too low, this can lead to strain on the neck and shoulders. So keep the device in front of you and not on one side of your body, so that you have to turn your neck. Also try to keep your wrists as straight as possible and hold your phone with a relaxed grip.
When typing, it is best to alternate your thumb and your other fingers. This works best if you place the device on a hard surface or by holding the device with one hand while typing with the other. It is also better not to use the tips of your fingers, but type with the underside of the fingertips, so that you do not have to bend your thumb or fingers too tightly.
