It is often said: “There is a disease in any profession” (occupational disease). Indeed, when you spend more than 8 hours a day at the office, sedentary, your chances of getting back pain, musculoskeletal-related syndromes, weak eyes and digestive problems will be higher than usual.  Let’s practice small habits every day to prevent office diseases, have more health and energy to complete work efficiently and in balance!

1. Bend and stretch the wrist every 15 – 30 minutes of work

You may not have heard of carpal tunnel syndrome (also known as carpal tunnel syndrome, abbreviated as CTS), but it is one of the most common office conditions today. This syndrome affects the median nerve of the arm, causing pain, numbness and tingling in the hand, often dropping objects, and interfering with daily activities. Symptoms are often aggravated by flexing the wrist, shaking hands, or squeezing the hand. Some people experience discomfort in the upper arms and shoulders. Symptoms are often worse at night and can disrupt sleep.

Typing or using a computer mouse for a long time will make you need to repeat wrist movements many times which is considered one of the main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, experts recommend that we exercise our hands every 15 – 30 minutes by flexing, stretching and rotating the wrists and fingers for easy blood circulation.

2. Get up and leave your seat often

Sitting for long periods of time at work increases the risk of back pain as well as hemorrhoids. So, make it a habit to leave your desk every 30-60 minutes. You can move important work items such as desk phones, printers, stationery sets, etc. out of reach so that you have an “excuse” to leave your seat frequently. If you are afraid of forgetting, set up a reminder right on your smartphone or equip a smart watch (smartwatch) with a feature that reminds you to be active every 30 – 60 minutes to help you practice this habit.

3. Read text with white font

If your job requires you to browse documents often or for a long time, you must have faced eye strain, dizziness, and even trouble sleeping at night. Try the trick of turning the text background to black, as well as the font to white, you will be surprised with the effect that this measure brings. This mode helps to limit blue light – a spectrum of high energy light with short wavelengths, which is not beneficial to our eyes. In addition, overexposure to blue light can inhibit the secretion of melatonin, an important hormone that “reminds” our circadian mechanisms that it’s time to go to bed at night.

4. Increase the font size displayed on the screen

Looking too long at the words that are too small makes your eyes have to adjust more, and sometimes you have to put your face close to the screen to see clearly. This makes your eyes tired easily and headaches. So increase the font size of the text to see things easier, and your eyes don’t need to adjust too much to affect vision.

5. Clean the desk

The Covid-19 epidemic has made us more aware of hygiene in common areas to prevent infections caused by viruses and bacteria. Therefore, always have disinfectant water and antibacterial towels ready so that you can clean your workspace regularly. A neat and clean desk not only helps your immune system, but also helps you focus better and bring better work efficiency. Please refer to  the secret of “cleaning witch” Marie Kondo to have a really “quality” working corner!

6. Do it, but don’t skip lunch

Skimming lunches, or even skipping meals, is a common habit of office workers, especially during the peak working season. This habit in the long run will lead to stomach pain and many other digestive diseases. You don’t need a huge lunch, but at least make sure you give your body a nutritious meal to “charge” energy for the afternoon’s work.

7. Drink water regularly

This habit helps stimulate the need to go to the toilet more, prevent diseases caused by sitting for a long time as well as help beautiful skin, keep the body healthy, mentally sharper. A tip for you is to choose a small glass of water instead of storing water in a large jug. Standing up and moving to get water not only helps you stay hydrated, but also gives you an “excuse” to move around more instead of sitting in one place for a long time. Don’t forget to put a water bottle on your desk within easy reach to make it hard to forget to drink water regularly.

Each action is small, but repeated many times will form a good habit, performing good habits many times will form a healthy lifestyle for a better life. We believe that the above habits are not too difficult for us to easily practice every day. Take action now for your own health!