Wellbeing

Is your desk making you ill?

By Lauren Godfrey

Could the workplace be bad for your health? NH investigates…

Ever felt like when one person in your office gets the sniffles, one by one your colleagues are struck down too, like an uncontrollable stack of dominoes? Well, research from healthcare provider Benenden has found that your work station could be to blame for poor health. The study discovered that working in an office is a common cause of back pain and that 75 percent of employees claimed that they rarely feel healthy at work. Benenden have provided the facts so we’ve come up with the solutions.

Tiredness

According to the survey, 91 percent reported feeling tired at work and 51 percent admitted they had problems sleeping due to work worries. Break the cycle by changing your eating habits during the day to promote a better night’s sleep and swap jittery coffee for a much healthier energy-boosting matcha green tea. Before bed, try a soothing cup of chamomile and a calming candle to help ease any work-related stress. We love Monique Hart’s Bleeding Hart candle and room mist, £29 each.

Image Credit: Bleeding Hart Candle and Room Mist, £29 each, Monique Hart

All work, no play

When deadlines are looming and your boss is sending passive aggressive emails every half hour checking for progress reports, it’s easy to slip into a habit of not taking a lunch break. 65 percent of us rarely take a traditional lunch hour with 39 percent claiming they spend lunch tied to their desks due to having too much work. Therefore it makes sense that 44 percent of us confess to feeling stressed at work on a regular basis. If you feel you need to work through, always find the time to go for a 10-minute walk in the fresh air. And if stress is getting too much, try a quick meditation technique to help you focus for the afternoon.

Dirty desks

A shocking 23 percent of people admitted to eating at their desk five days per week. Couple this with a mere 28 percent of employees regularly cleaning their desks and we’ve got work stations which are a breeding ground for bacteria. Keep your desk clean with Mangle and Wringer’s Spray and Go. A simple, yet natural, way to ensure your desk is so clean you won’t even need to use a plate*

Image Credit: Spray and Go, £5.60, Mangle and Wringer

Headaches

Staring at a computer screen all day is a sure fire way to make your head feel like it’s going to explode, so it’s unsurprising that 27 percent of people experience painful migraines at work. Try to keep them at bay by staying hydrated and taking regular breaks. If a headache strikes, soothe it the natural way by applying an ice pack to the back of your neck to help reduce the inflammation which causes the pain. Alternatively, try soaking your feet in a bowl of hot water.

*NH does not encourage its readers to eat straight off their desks…

Article by

Lauren Godfrey

Content Writer

Article by

Lauren Godfrey

Content Writer