How To Make Your PC More Comfortable To Use

If you feel achey and stiff after using your PC, we have some practical advice to help you stay pain-free.

Fix bad posture

Many of us give little or no thought to posture when we're sitting at our desks, but sitting incorrectly for long periods of time is a major cause of back and neck aches. Discomfort from bad posture can force you to shift into an even worse position, resulting in a spiralling cycle of Pain. Usually, the problem starts with slouching, or sitting too near or too far from your desk and keyboard, or having a seat that's too high or low. YouTube has a selection of good posture correction videos to watch.

Proper Sitting Posture shows you how to sit, while Back to Primal Posture provides useful advice on "stretch sitting". Skip ahead to 4 minutes and 24 seconds to get to the exercise. You can also take a look at The Art of Sitting diagrams on the Posturite website (www.posturite.co.uk/art-of-sitting). A good chair can help with posture, and there are plenty of well-designed ergonomic models available, many with built-in lumbar supports. Back2 has a broad selection to choose from, although some of them are very expensive. When sitting at your desk, the key approach is to sit up straight, but not ramrod rigid. Adjust your chair height and back so your knees are slightly lower than your hips, bent at approximately 90 degrees, and your feet are resting flat on the floor (don't tuck them under your chair). Keep your head straight, so you're staring directly in front of you and not looking too far up or down. Adjusting your chair height can help with this, and you can buy a monitor stand if your screen isn't high enough. Keep your shoulders back, but don't overstrain. Try to relax - it will eventually become second nature.

Take a break and do exercises 

It's important to take regular breaks away from your computer - one every 20 minutes is ideal. If you get too caught up in what you're doing to remember to take regular breaks, Workrave can help. The program alerts you when it's time to take a micro-pause or a regular rest break. You can ignore the messages, but they become insistent if you skip too many. There are also some gentle exercises to follow. See our Mini Workshop below for more information. Breaker is a decent alternative that has timers for work and breaks. It tells you when to step away from your PC and when to return, and you can set it to loop a number of times. FadeTop is a similar program that turns the screen blue when you're due a break, PC WorkBreak not only reminds you to take regular breaks, but offers a selection of things to do, including stretches, short walks and eye exercises. The program lets you set the frequency and duration of the breaks.

Look after your eyes 

Staring at a screen for long periods can lead to sore, uncomfortable eyes and headaches. Positioning your monitor slightly below eye level can help, and health professionals also recommend you follow the 20/20/20/20 rule - take a rest break every 20 minutes, blink 20 times in a row. and Stare at an object that is around 20 feet away for 20 seconds. 20 Cubed is a simple add-on for Chrome that reminds you when it's time to look away from your screen. Anathor eye exercise program is EyeLeo. Flux is anathor program which automatically adjusts the colour of your display to match the time of day. The screen will be at its brightest during daylight hours, slowly dulling and taking on a yellow hue as night arrives. You can manually adjust the settings to suit the lighting of your room. See our Mini Workshop on page 73. There's an unofficial variation of Flux for Chrome called G.lux. which changes the colour of websites. Twilight is a similar free MO for Android phones and tablets.

Buy ergonomic alternatives 

In addition to getting a new, more comfortable and ergonomic chair, you

might want to think about replacing your keyboard and mouse, to reduce the risk of PSI. Ergonomic keyboards are designed to reduce the stress and strain on your muscles by dividing the keys up into two or three angled groups - in either fixed or fully adjustable positions. It's a fact that two fingered typists are more prone to PSI than people who type using all their fingers, so it can be worth learning to touch type. Posturite sells all manner of ergonomic kit, including ergonomic keyboards. Consider the super-sized Microsoft Ergo 4000 Keyboard (£60), or the Fujitsu Butterfly Split Keyboard (£126). The Number Slide Keyboard (E66) has a numeric keypad which slides away when not in use. This frees up desk space so you can use the mouse closer to the main part of your keyboard and not have to stretch you arm so far. Traditional mice can force your hand to sit in an unnatural position, increasing the risk of PSI. Posturite has a good selection of ergonomic mice, including vertical, rollbar and trackball models such as the Penguin Ambidextrous Vertical Mouse, which comes in small, medium and large sizes, as well as wired or wireless (from £66), and the Evoluent Vertical Mouse 4, which is available in right- and left-handed models (£125).