Shopping for a gaming chair is not as simple as making your snacks. It may be overlooked since there are plenty of fantastic gaming chairs like clutch gaming chairs in the market. Not every chair will be able to meet your gaming needs. It is for this reason that you need to be extra choosy for you to be able to carry home a comfortable gaming chair. Long hours or even a whole day of sitting is no joke. Your back will need all the support and comfort it can get let you will have to put your doctor’s number on speed dial.

To help you pick the perfect gaming chair, you will need this checklist.

What type of seat do you need?

While looking for the most comfortable gaming chair, it is important to note that not all the comfy chairs will be perfect for you. Different chairs have been built to meet different gaming needs. How so? There are five types of gaming chairs. That is, the racing seat, video rocker, pedestal chair, beanbag seat, and the racing simulator cockpit. The racing seat is meant for pc or desk gaming. The video rocker is preferably used by gamers who like to sit closer to the floor and enjoy infusing some bit of rocking movement as they game. The pedestal chair provides mobility as it allows recline, rocking and rotation. If you are a huge fan of racing games, the pedestal chair is the ideal gaming chair for you: the chair has been computerized, and its features are accompanied by simulations of a steering wheel. Is your apartment short of space? The bean bag is the perfect chair for you. The beanbag chair will give you the comfort you need without taking up too much space.

Ergonomics

You need to be keen on this one. It is what will determine whether you will be forced to take breaks now and then to stretch. A seat with the ideal ergonomics has quality padding. Special attention is also paid to in the pressure points. Good ergonomics will keep you relaxed throughout the game. More so, they will facilitate proper blood flow and a good posture. Some gaming chairs come with two extra pillows: one for the lumbar area and another for your neck. You may want to take that home.

Is the chair customizable?

You might be compelled by the comfort and support a chair tends to give you the first time you test it. After staying with it for a while, you might start to feel that the chair is not as comfortable as it felt the first time. Which is why you need a chair that has no limits to customization. You might want to do away with the armrests, change the tilt of the chair or increase the height of the back. While at the store, you can reach out to the attendants and ask them to help you test the adjustability of the chair. A customizable gaming chair will save you the trouble of going back for shopping as you can quickly achieve your preferred level of comfort without having to get a different seat.

Your budget

The chair is the type you have been looking for, has the perfect ergonomics and it also looks like one that can give you service for a couple of years. That is not all. Does the chair fit in your budget? It is essential to make a comparison of how much you are ready to offer and the kind of features your budget will allow you to benefit from. Note that some of the extra features like inbuilt sound systems may come at an additional cost.

Do you need them? Such questions will help you get a comfortable gaming chair that will give you value for your money. The brand of the chair will also have an impact on how much you will have to part with for the chair. On that note, you can embark on a comparison shopping and see whether you can be able to get a chair with similar features at a fair price from different brands.

As gaming continues to become popular among most people, the need to take care of their well-being has also risen. Remember that gaming for long hours may have some long-term adverse health effects. Getting a comfortable chair will go a long way in keeping back pains, neck pains, damage of the spine and posture at bay. For that reason, many manufacturers have emerged to make the life of the gamer better. You have endless options of getting a good gaming chair, and you have no excuse for sticking to the uncomfortable couch. With a reasonable budget and the checklist mentioned above, getting a comfortable gaming chair should not be too hard.

It’s not just sitting for long hours in the office trying to meet one deadline after the next that is sapping all the energy from you.

Not taking breaks, people sneezing over you, snatching a chocolate here and there to ward off hunger pains and staring at your computer hour after hour are all affecting your physical wellbeing and your mental health.

If you aren’t healthy, you can’t work – certainly not at levels that are productive. Many employees who fail to show up at the office aren’t even seriously ill – they’re run-down, unmotivated, unhappy and stressed.

Here are the 4 most common office distractions and health risks lurking in almost every office, and how to tackle them head on.

1. Oh the Noise!

Sometimes it just seems as though the regular noise of the office is such that you can’t think straight. An office needs to make room for quietness – quiet zones which are a refuge from the loudness out there. This is a room where others know that the people using the room expect no noise to intrude the quietness.

The easiest fix to address this is to buy a good pair of noise canceling headphones. They work like magic in filtering out all the outside and background noise in your surroundings, letting you focus on the task at hand.

From a employer standpoint, consider introducing desk screens which offer people more privacy and which can also be useful for blocking noise. Bosses can also look at more costlier solutions such as insulating walls and investing in carpets.

2. Ergonomic Injuries

Office workers spend many hours of their day seated at a desk. This results in strain and injuries related to bad posture and repetitive movement. A variety of adjustable ergonomic chairs with proper lumbar and back support are available on the market, some even in the budget category.

A recent trend in ergonomics is to stand while you work, either via a standing desk or sit-stand chair that keep your body in an upright position. Both are great options if your budget allows for them.

3. Poor Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality contributes to occupational allergies and respiratory disorders. There can be so many contaminants in the air that cause these health problems – office overcrowding, office design that blocks off air flow, inadequate ventilation systems, water damage and mold growth and dirty work environments.

Studies tell us that bad air can actually reduce a worker’s ability to think and the ability to make better decisions, limiting workplace performance. Yes, modern offices today and of the future have architects creating buildings and office spaces which ensures indoor environmental quality, but what about older buildings?  If you’re in an older building you can’t suddenly demand that your building be upgraded, but there are a few changes that can be made –

  • use a vacuum with a hepa-filter at least 3x a week on carpets and upholstered furniture to reduce dust and mites
  • keep contaminants at bay with the use of floor mats at each entrance. These mat reduce tracked in sources of dirt
  • keep a healthy level of humidity in your building. Modern air conditioners dehumidify as they cool. If your office doesn’t have an air conditioner, invest in a dehumidifier, making your office less hospitable to allergens such as mold and dust.

4. Office Clutter and Mayhem

De-cluttering and basic cleanliness can prevent the spread of illnesses and diseases in the workplace. Piles of ancient files and paper breed germs and clutter actually limits your brain’s ability to process information. Office kitchens, rubbish bins, bathrooms and rest-rooms should all be regularly cleaned and sanitized. A good idea is to pay for an office cleaning service who provide a checklist of services.

Conclusion:

Health, happiness and wellbeing in the office is a hot topic today to diminish the risk of injury and illness in the workplace.

There are professionals who can become involved to help with introducing healthy habits in the office. If however, you’re going it alone in your office, identify risks, develop a plan and put that plan into action because it should be in every company’s interest to have contented, healthy employees.

References: 

  1. Allen, J. Harvard Business Review.Research: Stale Office Air Is Making You Less Productive. Available at https://hbr.org/2017/03/research-stale-office-air-is-making-you-less-productive
  2. Consumer Reports: Best noise canceling headphones Available at: https://www.consumerreports.org/noise-canceling-headphones/who-makes-the-best-noise-canceling-headphones/
  3. Ergotrends. Best Ergonomic Office Chairs Available at http://ergonomictrends.com/best-ergonomic-office-chairs-reviews-buyers-guide/
  4. Doland, E. Europa. Scientists find physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus, process in Available at http://forumeuropa.net/printthread.php?tid=2942