Home LivingWellness5 long-term effects of poor posture (and how to avoid them)Text neck? Sad shoulder? Here’s how you might look in a few years if you don’t fix your postureWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingWellness5 long-term effects of poor posture (and how to avoid them)Text neck? Sad shoulder? Here’s how you might look in a few years if you don’t fix your postureWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Text neck? Sad shoulder? Here’s how you might look in a few years if you don’t fix your posture
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
Squinting down at your phone, slumping over your desk, and sitting on a poorly designed chair when working can all have a negative effect on your posture, which over time will start to show physically. Even how you snooze can have an impact – turns out, there aregood and bad postures to sleep in.
The people that brought you the world’s most distressing illustration ofwhat happens to your face if you don’t sleephave now turned their attention to your posture. Mattress specialistsTime4Sleephave teamed up with Body and Posture expertIvana Daniellto uncover the physical repercussions of clinging onto those poor posture habits. Once again there’s a disturbing character to illustrate those effects – say hello to Polly (below), who embodies an ‘exaggerated’ – thankfully – collection of posture-related conditions.
(Image credit: Time4Sleep)
(Image credit: Time4Sleep)
1. Text Neck
Holding your neck in the wrong position will lead to the compression of the cervical spine. Ivana suggests that, “To avoid text neck, aim to keep your spine neutral with devices kept at eye level.” Which is alright when typing on a laptop, but a little more unnatural when you’re texting. Still, something to think about when you’re bingeing YouTube videos on your phone.
#2. Kyphosis and #3. Sad shoulder
Kyphosis is the increased curvature of the upper spine, and is commonly found amongst people who spend long hours at a desk. Along with Kyphosis, you might end up suffering from ‘sad shoulder’, where your shoulders start to slump forward.
Investing in the right equipment can help with this. “Consider purchasing an ergonomic chair – this will allow you to create a 120-degree angle at your hips which is ideal for back and hip support,” says Ivana. You also want to position your computer screen at eye level to keep your cervical spine in a neutral position, and many have found that investing in one of thebest standing desks, so you can stand for at least some of your working day, helps too.
#4. Inefficient breathing and #5. Numb hands
It’s important to keep an eye on your posture not only during waking hours, but also while you sleep. It is possible tooptimise your sleep pose to boost recovery times and improve posture, and it’s equally true that sleeping in an awkward pose will worsen your posture over time. Make sure you have a mattress and pillow that provide proper support and keep your spine in neutral alignment as you snooze – head to ourbest mattressandbest pillowguides for our recommendations.
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