Is it possible to sit at the computer for a long time? Sitting is unnatural

Many, if not most, of us have sedentary jobs. If you are reading this now, then you are sitting on a chair more or less motionless. Half an hour, an hour, then it becomes uncomfortable, not comfortable. Even if you have a good expensive chair. But this post on the site today is not about chairs, but about why it is harmful for anyone to sit for a long time.

The first reason, which is also the main one, is stagnation of blood in the legs and pelvic area. Blood supplies the organs and muscles of our body with oxygen and nutrients for tissue growth and renewal. On the way back, the blood carries away accumulated toxins, work products, waste, in short. If there is even microscopic inflammation somewhere, the best way to cure it is to ensure good blood flow there.

What about a sitting person? Blood stagnation begins in the lower part of the body. She has difficulty breaking through the motionless, tight muscles. Your body starts to go numb and you feel uncomfortable. Organs stop receiving necessary substances. The consequences of this are prostatitis in men, and female diseases in women. Let's add hemorrhoids and a flat, ugly butt. Not fun.

When you are immobile, the body stores resources

Girls, think about your waist! If you sit a lot, you won’t find it on your body, and in the end you will have to look for it and torture your body with techniques. It would be funny if it weren't so sad! This also applies to men, of course, although to a lesser extent - they have their own sources of obesity.

In general, many things in life are provoked by education. excess weight. Modern food, drinks, . Therefore, you need to try to minimize all these factors in life.

Why shouldn't you sit for a long time? Posture distortion!

The spine is the conductor of your body's energy. He's like a pipe. And if this pipe is curved, has turns and “knots,” the energy begins to flow worse. You get tired faster, it becomes more difficult for you to enjoy life. Not to mention the fact that your back hurts, your lower back hurts, your muscles are tight. It's scary to move suddenly.

If you have to sit still for a long time, try to at least keep your back straight. Also, don't cross your legs. This point rather relates to the first point, but not the point. Crossed legs - complicated blood flow, we have already mentioned the consequences.

Need more reasons? OK.

Life passes you by if you sit for a long time. Here we are primarily talking about sitting at the computer or watching the TV. "The soldier is sleeping - the service is underway." In our case, life goes on. The sun moves, the weather changes, something happens, and you are in contact. Take a break, go outside, take a breath of fresh air!

I hope you have received the answer to the question “why is it harmful to sit for a long time?” How can you make life easier for your body? Make yourself a rule - get up from your workplace every half hour for 1-2 minutes. And every two hours for 10-15 minutes. And not just get up, but actively move, warm up, jump,... Well, at least walk! By doing this you will provide your beloved body an invaluable service, and it will definitely thank you...

Avoid everything harmful, and good health to you!

Global computerization is an undeniable technical progress. Elderly people and even two-year-olds can work on a computer, which makes their parents incredibly proud. Both children and teenagers are ready to spend 24 hours a day in front of an alluring monitor.

At the same time, few people think about where children’s tantrums suddenly come from, why teenagers suffer from headaches, and where healthy children who are not burdened with problems get headaches.

It is completely impossible to give up a computer, since in the modern technogenic world the PC has become an indispensable element of life. But, like any technical gadget, a computer must be used wisely, strictly observing the time, conditions and breaks in work.

The harm to health caused by computers is sometimes exaggerated. The negative impact is created due to irregular time spent working on a PC, i.e. the person himself aggravates existing risks.

Electromagnetic radiation

Any household appliance emits EMR, but a person does not sleep next to a refrigerator or working microwave, does not watch TV at a distance of 25-40 cm from the eyes, but when working on a PC, all emitters are concentrated next to the body: monitor, operating unit, mouse, keyboard.

An independent study of computers distributed on the market for these products, which was carried out by employees of the Center for Electromagnetic Safety (Moscow), allowed us to draw a disappointing conclusion about the biological excess dangerous level EMR in the user's area.

PCs increase the general EM background created by household appliances and “irradiate” not only the person sitting behind the screen, but also those around them. An area within a radius of 1.5 m from the computer is considered dangerous.

Increased EMR background causes:

headaches
fatigue, nervousness
decreased resistance to infections, from the skin to the internal organs
in increasing numbers malignant neoplasms the increased EM background also makes an undeniable contribution.

PC monitors made with cathode ray tubes

They are proven sources of ultraviolet, soft x-ray, visible, infrared, radio frequency, microwave and low frequency EMR. Most of all, EMR is emitted by the rear and side walls of the monitor. Every year, more stringent standards are adopted regarding the radiation power of the monitor, while manufacturers take a cunning step, not reducing this very power, but improving the quality of the protective coating applied to the front part of the screen. The back and side walls still emit EMR.

System unit

The system unit is also a powerful emitter. Human body most sensitive to EMR in the range of 40-70 GHz. At these frequencies, the wavelength is comparable to the size of the cells, which means that the radiation easily penetrates the tissue. Features of modern PCs:

this is an increase in operating frequencies of both the processor and peripheral devices
increasing power to 400 - 500 W.

As a result, the unit's radiation level in the frequency range 40-70 GHz has increased thousands of times over the past 2-3 years.

Laptop and LCD monitors

LCD monitors and laptops made on the basis of liquid crystals are positioned as safe because they do not generate that “bouquet” of EMR characteristic of cathode ray tubes. But not only the tube is an emitter - the power supply voltage converter when the device is operating from the network, the control circuit, and other elements of the equipment are also capable of generating harmful fields.

At the same time, the laptop is always located closer to the user, and some users have the habit of placing the PC on their laps.

Research: The CYCLON-TEST and ELITE testing centers examined 5 types of laptops from the most famous manufacturers. EMR measurements were carried out in 8 directions from the equipment, including the keyboard, since it is monolithically connected to the laptop. In this case, the measurement distances from the PC were taken to be smaller than those normalized by the MPR II standard.

Research has shown that when the device was powered either from the mains or from a battery, the MPR II standards were not met for the majority of samples in all 8 directions. Particularly significant excesses were observed in front and to the right of the PC.

Effect of EMR on children and pregnant women

The brain matter in children is more conductive, and the skull bones are thinner, which ultimately leads to a greater specific absorbed power. EMR penetrates deeper into parts of the brain.

EMF is a biologically active factor in embryos. As is known, the sensitivity of an embryo to any damaging factors is many times higher than that of an adult, and EMR is no exception. Intrauterine injury when working at a computer most often occurs on early stages development, which leads to miscarriages or developmental defects.

Vision

Modern monitors are already devoid of a previously characteristic problem - flickering, but this does not mean that the computer does not put stress on the eyes, which, if the standard operating time on a PC is observed, is comparable to that when watching TV.

Stress - uncontrolled use of a computer by children whose health is poor in rare cases is absolute, leads to tension visual apparatus, which is equivalent to severe stress. Everyone knows about the consequences of stress; this is a separate topic.
Decreased vision - weakness of the eye muscles when overstrained leads to decreased vision. Captivated by the picture on the monitor, children forget to blink, which leads to dry corneas and deterioration of vision.

The final eye strain is influenced by 4 factors:

monitor quality;
work intensity;
duration of work;
organization of the workplace.

The screen image is a priori different from the natural one. Unlike natural reflected light, it is self-luminous and has little contrast, which is made even less by external light. The image from the monitor consists of individual dots and constantly flickers. A computer image does not have clear boundaries, like a picture on paper.

Increasing visual load accompanied by the need to constantly move the gaze from the screen to paper text or keyboard. The situation is aggravated by low-quality software, incompatible color selection, illegible font, poor monitor placement, poorly organized workplace(glare reflections from the screen, non-compliance with the distance to the screen, etc.).

All this leads to the development of the so-called computer vision syndrome:

eyes start to water
the image becomes unclear, double
fatigue occurs
change in concentration.

A survey of people who work at a computer for a long time led to the identification of the following symptoms:

redness of the eyes in 48%;
itching of the periocular area in 41%;
eye pain in 9%;
“floaters” in the eyes of 36%;
discomfort in 5-10%;
headache in 9%;
weakness in 3%;
darkening and double vision in 2 – 0.16%;

In addition to subjective sensations, this group of people also experienced physiological changes in the visual system:

violation of convergence in 52% of cases, accommodation - in 45% of users;
change binocular vision in 49%, stereo vision – in 47%;
decreased visual acuity in 34%.

Seated position

Sitting at the computer for a long time in a virtually forced position results in stagnation of blood in the pelvic area, which contributes to the development.
Load on musculoskeletal system leads to poor posture and scoliosis in childhood, as well as salt deposition and osteochondrosis in adults.
Physical inactivity leads to muscle weakness and obesity. Sedentary image human life leads to already 35-40 years of age, which is threatened by heart attacks and strokes.

As for children, the problem is more than serious. Parents who are faced with problematic posture in their children know that it is very difficult to stop the progression and cure the curvature of the spine that has begun. The computer completely captures the child's attention; the child does not feel like he is sitting slouched. Pathological process starts very quickly in a growing child’s body:

At first, a barely noticeable stoop appears
It is more difficult for the child to keep his back straight
When sitting, the back becomes round
then muscle weakness and incorrect posture lead to curvature spinal column, which can progress literally before our eyes.

Load on the joints of the hands

Many people notice that after prolonged work on the computer (with a keyboard or mouse), the hand begins to go numb, especially in the area of the fingertips, and also ache. I always want to rub my hands, as if they are numb. All this is a consequence of disruption small joints hand, blood supply and innervation.

Exposure to dust, dirt and chemicals

During operation, the PC attracts dust and various dirt, which accumulates in the system unit and settles on the keyboard and mouse. The PC cooling system causes dust to circulate indoors.

It has been proven that the keyboard contains many times more germs than the toilet lid.
Dust, being an active allergen, leads to the development of hypersensitivity reactions, and. In turn, pathogenic microorganisms fall with with dirty hands into the body and cause various obvious or hidden infections.

Swedish environmentalists discovered that within two years after manufacture, the monitor emits chemical compound triphenyl phosphate, which is a strong allergen. This substance is part of the plastic, and when the latter is heated during operation of the PC, it begins to be released into the air. Triphenyl phosphate levels are ten times higher than background while working on a PC.

Effect on the nervous system and psyche

This factor is the most dangerous and in some cases leads to irreversible consequences and the formation of a complete mental dependence from the computer.

Impact on children

The unstable psyche of children and teenagers suffers from being addicted to the computer. Problems begin with a simple reluctance to leave the computer to do usual things (walk, eat). Then the child refuses to go to bed at the proper time.

In the future, deprivation of a computer leads to irritability and hysterics. There is a violation of attention and memory, depressive and even aggressive mood.

The taste for life and mood return only when playing on a PC. At the same time, the child is not interested in those around him or what is happening; addressing him during computer games causes aggression or goes unnoticed. Literally, addicted children end up in the computer world, becoming zombies and not interested in real life.

Effect on adults

Adult users often run away from their problems by immersing themselves in virtual world and being already there the winner of life. At the same time, the events of the game are perceived as in reality, with experiences and emotions. The adrenaline produced during the game is not destroyed by the body, as happens when playing sports, cycling, etc. When adrenaline heats up in the body, it leads to the destruction of the nervous system, the development of neurasthenia and psychosis.

And for those who already have mental problems, the computer is absolutely contraindicated. Having tasted the taste of murder during the game, such people easily decide to commit this act in real life, including suicide. Famous case The suicide of 6 Russian schoolchildren – fans of “Final Fantasy”, which occurred in 2001, is far from the only one; sad statistics are constantly updated with the absurd deaths of people addicted to computers.

Computer addiction is equal in strength to alcohol or drug addiction! But if in the case of the last two various methods struggle, starting from the state level, then gamers remain on the sidelines, destroying their lives and the destinies of their relatives.

Is radiation from a Wi-Fi router harmful?

Wireless access point in global network Surely there is one in every apartment. It is convenient and economical, and those who switched to Wi-Fi are unlikely to return to wired Internet.

The router's radiation frequency is 2.4 GHz (slightly higher for a microwave oven).
The radiation power is 18 mW (for a mobile phone it is approximately 1 W.
If the device is turned on constantly, the impact on humans will also be constant. Some people do not turn off the access point even at night and sleep in the room where the router is located, which is completely unacceptable.
An excess of radio waves threatens the development of irritability, fatigue and other symptoms.

Operating at a fairly high frequency, the router has low power. Those. reasonable use of the device, placed at a safe distance, outside of bedrooms, is considered acceptable and comparable to the effect of a TV, refrigerator and other EMR-emitting devices. The closer the healing generator (in our case, the router) is located to a person, the longer it works in continuous mode, the greater negative impact he renders.

In public places Wi-Fi access The free source is located far from users, without affecting health. In this case, the device used to access the Internet (phone, tablet) emits more radiation.

Rules for working on a personal computer

All of the problems listed above can be avoided by strictly following the rules of working on a PC yourself and not giving any concessions to children, allowing them to play “just 5 more minutes.”

Working time on a PC - how long can you sit at a computer?

For adult users, the total time spent working on a PC is 6 hours a day (you can sit at a computer for a maximum of 8 hours, due to professional necessity). This does not mean that you can sit on the computer at 9 am and sit non-stop until 3 pm. Breaks must be observed, which we will discuss below.

Teenagers 12-16 years old can spend no more than 2 hours on a PC per day;
Children aged 7-10-12 years are allowed 1 hour of work on a PC;
A child 5-7 years old can sit at the computer for no more than half an hour.
For children under 5 years old, PC should be prohibited.

Scheduled breaks

To prevent overload of organs and systems, as well as mental discomfort, it is necessary to take breaks for active rest. Those. Simply turning away from the monitor and looking out the window is not an option.

During each working hour, after 15-20 minutes, you should take your eyes away from the screen for 2-3 minutes, or at least close them, doing a mini-unload on the visual analyzer.
After every 45 minutes of working on a PC, you need to take a 10-15 minute break: warm up, walk around. If possible, you can lie down with your eyes closed.
After 3 hours of work, you need to take a break for a half-hour rest - go for a walk, breathe fresh air, have a snack.
It is useful to do gymnastics for the eyes - rotation eyeballs, frequent blinking, shifting the gaze from near to distant objects.

Organization of the workplace - how to sit at the computer correctly

To work on a PC, you must have appropriate furniture - a computer desk and chair. Both adult and children's furniture are available, which can be adjusted according to height. In this case, the height of the chair should correspond to the height of the table.

The lighting should be even, there should be no contrasting light sources near the monitor.
The best option for placing the monitor is in the corner of the room, which will allow the walls to absorb the EMR generated by it. The distance to the monitor should be from 40-50 cm, while it should occupy a position several cm below the eyes, so that the view of the monitor is from top to bottom, and not vice versa. The refresh rate of the monitor screen must be at least 85 Hz.
The system unit should be located as far as possible from a person.

For working on a PC, special safety glasses are sold, which in no way affect the quality of the picture, but protect the eyes from overexertion.

Computer care

At least once a month you need to remove the back cover of the system unit and carefully vacuum the parts. The keyboard and monitor should be wiped down by special means every day.

To prevent a computer from emitting harmful radiation when not in use, it should be unplugged. This rule also applies to wireless or wired Internet routers - they must be turned off.

Indoor microclimate

During breaks in work, the room should be ventilated through the room, and during work, the window should be micro-ventilated. PC operation leads to an increase in the level of positively charged and a decrease in negatively charged ions.

Fifteen minutes of ventilation leads this indicator back to normal. During ventilation, others also leave the room. chemicals released into the air due to PC operation.

How to save a child from computer addiction or prevent it from forming

It is difficult to completely eliminate the computer for a schoolchild, but health should always remain a priority! The PC should be used strictly for homework and under adult supervision. If you give yourself some slack and let you play the game after completing homework on a PC, you can forget about further productive completion of lessons. Tasks that involve working on a PC should be completed last.
A computer should never be positioned as a bonus for something. You cannot turn a computer into a super-forbidden thing (it is always more attractive), just as you cannot turn a PC into a cult and an incentive prize for obedience. The child must understand that a computer is a gadget for adults.
Try to take it all free time the child with benefit: let it be sports sections, clubs, swimming pool, dancing, gymnastics, hockey and others. While devoting energy to useful pastime, you simply won’t have enough time for the computer.
Don't serve bad example, enthusiastically fighting space monsters in front of the children. Let the computer be associated with a work necessity, not with entertainment.
Spend time with your children, excluding moments when the child sits at the computer and is left to his own devices, without distracting adults from their daily activities. Games should be in a child’s life, because they develop, but let them be active outdoor or exciting board games, which are so fun to play with the whole family.
Don’t start your children’s acquaintance with the computer world right away with an adult PC or laptop; if a child wants a computer, buy him a toy educational device similar in design. appearance with a laptop.

A computer and human health are contradictory concepts, but with reasonable organization of work on a PC, you can minimize harmful influence health devices.

When sitting, the pressure inside the discs is higher than when standing or lying down. The sacrum diverges to the sides under the weight of the spine, and its base in the middle is compressed, as if in a vice. Over time, fluid from the discs leaks out (they lose about 10% of their moisture), and the bone segments located on top of each other turn into a rigid tube. Most of the fluid drains out during the first two hours of sitting, but the discs dry out faster the longer they remain compressed. People who work for long hours while sitting usually feel back discomfort when standing up. Sometimes it takes several minutes before the base of the spine lowers and movement becomes easier. If prolonged sitting is accompanied by insufficient mobility, the lower discs never recover normally and this is where the back begins to hurt from sedentary work.

Exercises for self-medication

The discs fill with fluid faster than they drain it. This is partly due to the concentration of electrolytes in the nucleus pulposus, which draws water under osmotic pressure, and partly with a retracting effect from stretching the spine. The discs fill faster if you lie on your back with your knees drawn up; that is why such a simple exercise is an important part of self-medication. Raising your knees toward your chest and squatting prevents fluid loss from the discs by opening up the posterior spinal complex.

And the use of a special block for the back reveals the anterior complex of the spine. With its help, the spine is further stretched, due to which not only the front surfaces of the discs open, sucking in fluid, but also compensates for an excessively tight posture when sitting. The block must be used every day. You will enjoy the feeling of the segments being stretched as you can almost feel the disc walls being repaired and water being drawn in from the vertebral bodies.

Why is it harmful to sit for a long time?

Prolonged sitting can also shorten other structures in the lumbosacral region, making it even more difficult for you to assume a normal posture. For example, powerful muscles - the flexors on the front surface of the thigh - quickly shorten if for a long time are not involved. This causes a feeling of tightness on the front of the thighs. This forces the person to tilt the pelvis forward, causing the spine to lose balance.

Shortened hip flexors also cause us to take shorter steps because our legs cannot bend properly at the hips. And this, in turn, again has a bad effect on the functioning of the spine, since when walking it has to turn to the sides to compensate for the lack of mobility of the hips.

Sitting with a hunched back causes contracture of the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine, which runs along the vertebral bodies like a long elastic band.

In its normal state, the function of this ligament is to limit the deflection of the spine, but when it is adaptively shortened, it draws the spine in an arch in front, like a bowstring stretched too tightly. A person often feels that his posture is deteriorating and something is preventing him from straightening up, as if his shirt is tucked into his trousers too tightly in the front. A back block will help you get rid of the troubles caused by prolonged sitting. It straightens the spine and chest, normalizes the position of the pelvis, and if you lower your legs to the floor, it stretches the muscles on the front side of the thigh. But, more importantly, thanks to it, compression of the spine is eliminated, the compacted walls of the discs are stretched, and the fluid is freely absorbed inside.

What is important to remember!

Remember that sitting on a chair is a completely unnatural position for our body. Many natives prefer to squat rather than use a chair with a backrest. Even if they ran a lot during the day or carried heavy objects - both of which put pressure on the base of the spine - they can easily eliminate this problem by preparing food in a squatting position and eating it in the same position. You will never see a Maasai warrior lounging on a sofa. Squatting is a mandatory part of the self-medication program.

What happens if you sit on a chair for a long time at work?

In people who do sedentary work, some segments in the lower part of the spine lose mobility. If you sit hunched over in a chair with your legs crossed and a telephone receiver pressed to your ear, your whole body will become stiff and the discs in the lower part of your spine will dry out. More often similar problems occur in those who work at a computer and in representatives of other “sedentary” professions. Over time, the body becomes more and more tense from sitting, and it becomes more and more difficult to straighten it when rising from a chair; constant stiffness in lower section the back becomes an obvious problem.

Drivers at risk

Truck drivers and taxi drivers also often suffer from pain in the lumbosacral region. Not only the sitting position, but also the constant vibration of the car increases the loss of fluid from the lower discs. It's even worse if the cabin is located high, and the driver is forced to jump to the ground. The push is especially unfavorable when the back is already tight. The situation becomes especially dangerous if he has to lift and carry heavy objects during loading or unloading.

Just 10-15 years ago, having a computer in a Russian’s apartment was considered a rarity, and office premises were only at the first stage of being equipped with these useful devices. Today, almost every home has a computer (and often more than one), and every second of our compatriots is already a regular user. The convenience and efficiency of personal computers are undeniable, but people who work with them every day should also be aware of the health hazards that computers can pose.

What are the dangers of sitting in front of a monitor for many hours?

The risk group for the occurrence of specific “computer” ailments includes office workers who are forced to spend whole days in front of personal devices, as well as people who do not know how to limit themselves computer games or in online communication (including children and adolescents). Most of them develop the following diseases over time:

—Poor posture, scoliosis, arthrosis of the cervical and lumbar regions spine, lumbago. These illnesses are a consequence prolonged sitting in an awkward position. They manifest themselves as pain in the back and neck, and stiffness of movement. Obsessive headaches often occur;

—Carpal tunnel syndrome, which appears in cases where the hands lie on the table in the same position for hours. The inability to change the position of the hands leads to the fact that the gap between the elbow and radius in the wrist area it narrows and pinching occurs median nerve. Symptoms of the disease include numbness in the hands, discomfort in the fingers, increasing pain. This disease has been known for a long time, but widespread only during the period of growing popularity of personal devices. According to some reports, today every sixth active computer user suffers from it;

—Hemorrhoids, thrombosis lower limbs, dysfunction reproductive system . Computer equipment in offices helps to work faster and more efficiently than several decades ago. The employee no longer needs to get up from his desk or look for documents in cabinets: all these actions are replaced with a few clicks of the mouse button. According to studies, the majority office workers Today they move at work 3-4 times less often than before. This leads to stagnation of blood in the pelvic area and the risk of developing a number of diseases;

—Vision problems. Firstly, a person who constantly peers at the monitor blinks too rarely. Because of this, the mucous membranes of the eyes cannot be properly moisturized and dry out. Most regular computer users complain of discomfort when blinking, a burning sensation and itching in the eyes. At long work pain and heaviness occur above the eyebrows. Secondly, overvoltage eye muscles When working at a monitor, it leads to a decrease in visual acuity and the development of myopia.

The first models of personal computers were unsafe from the point of view of the presence of intense electromagnetic radiation from screens, possibly having carcinogenic effect. U modern monitors this parameter has been significantly reduced, however, according to some experts, numerous cables and wires, as well as system units, can pose a danger. However, the ability of this type of radiation to provoke the development of malignant neoplasms has not yet been proven.

But the fact that a workplace equipped with a personal computer can become a source of infection by pathogens is considered real. The surfaces of the keyboard and mouse quickly become dirty, and pathogens of various diseases begin to multiply on them.

Let's be fair: the cause of the problems is not the very fact of the existence of personal computers, but non-compliance with the rules for working with them.

To protect yourself, the user must follow a few simple rules:

-When working at a computer, you need to take breaks every 40-45 minutes. During the warm-up, it is useful to walk, do several exercises (torso turns, bends, etc.), stretch and relax your hands, and do eye exercises;

-The monitor should be located at a distance of 50-60 cm from the face and have an angle such that the user sees the image slightly from above. It is necessary to adjust the lighting of the workplace so that there is no glare on the screen. It makes sense to use it from time to time eye drops, having a moisturizing effect;

-The height of the table and chair seat is selected in accordance with the height of the user and so that the hands lying on the table are not located at an angle to the forearm. The feet of a person sitting at a computer should rest completely on the floor;

-Do not leave wires and cables lying around the workplace randomly. Before cleaning your computer from dust, you must disconnect it from the power supply;

-The surfaces of the mouse and keyboard should be wiped regularly with disinfectant solutions or wet wipes.

Particular attention should be paid to those children who prefer to spend most of the day at computers. Such behavior not only may indicate the presence of gaming or Internet addiction, but also threatens early development most of the described diseases. According to experts, illnesses associated with the use of computers have already become much “younger”: today there are signs of specific lesions of the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system and organs of vision are often observed in children under 14 years of age. Therefore, parents should do everything possible to interest their children in sports sections or art clubs, distract them from computers and minimize the harm that these devices can cause to children’s health.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Life modern man It's hard to imagine without a computer.

It is entertainment, a means of communication, business, and work.

It’s somehow strange to see a threat in such familiar equipment, but it exists.

How long you can sit at a computer directly depends on your age, the nature of your work, and your knowledge of the basics of health.

How long can you sit at a computer and why is it dangerous?

If older people have become friends with computers, what can we say about young people and teenagers? It is unlikely that they can imagine existing without monitors, tablets and the virtual world. Moreover, while some people work with computers, others spend all their free time in virtuality, playing or communicating for hours. Both are at risk.

Dangerous above all electromagnetic radiation, which can cause chronic fatigue, headaches, increased nervousness, decrease immune defense body. A person who is constantly exposed is at risk for oncological diseases. The radiation acts within a fairly large radius of one and a half meters from the monitor, so that harm is caused to both the user and the people around him.

Of course, manufacturers are seriously working on screen protection to reduce the radiation power from the monitor. But what to do with other parts of the monitor, as well as system unit? All of them are also sources of radiation.

You shouldn’t rely on the safety of laptops either: they emit radiation, and how! Moreover, laptops are closest to human body, which clearly does not reduce the degree of danger.

Children are more affected by radiation than adults. Their skull bones are thinner, and medulla has greater conductivity. Hence the harm that a computer (or rather, radiation) can cause at the stage embryonic development, from miscarriage to fetal pathology. How long can a pregnant woman sit at the computer? Do I need to explain...

Increased load This is the second major problem associated with computers. Yes, today there is no obvious harmful flicker that plagued the first monitors, and the strain on the eyes is similar to that caused by a regular TV. But uncontrolled time spent at the monitor is fraught with overvoltage. optic nerve, decreased vision, development of myopia - myopia.

The computer is especially dangerous for children who already have vision impairment. It is the eyes that suffer first of all if a person does not comply with the basic mode of working with the monitor.

The question of how long you can sit at the computer directly relates to the development of varicose veins, scoliosis and osteochondrosis. If an adult or child sits in front of a monitor for hours, blood circulation in the pelvic organs will be disrupted. The habit of snacking without leaving your workplace or playing field leads to obesity, which is potentially dangerous in terms of developing problems with the heart, blood vessels, hormonal system.

If a child has developed a curvature of the spinal column, it is impossible to cope with the problem on your own. Scoliosis needs to be treated comprehensively: daily gymnastics, massage, constant control of posture, swimming.

One should not discount such an important point as the development computer addiction, similar to alcohol and drugs. It can also appear in adults, but children are most often affected. Closedness, lack of interests and friends in real world, sociopathy, cranky nervous system- this is the payback for the time spent in front of the monitor. In adults, against the background of complete immersion in the virtual world, insomnia often develops, which interferes with full-time work and rest.

How long can you sit at the computer: instructions for adults and children

It is not difficult to understand that the question of how long you can sit at the computer suggests the answer: the less, the better. However, there are specific medical recommendations, according to which you should plan your work and leisure.

Adult users must adhere to the following rules:

Work at the monitor for no more than two hours at a time;

Do visual gymnastics every half hour;

After two hours of work, be sure to take a break for at least twenty minutes. Taking a break means getting up, walking, doing exercises to get the blood flowing in your legs and pelvic area;

In total, an adult can spend no more than six hours a day at a computer. Exceeding this norm is fraught with the occurrence serious problems with health.

The standards for keeping children in front of a monitor are even stricter. How long you can sit at the computer depends primarily on the age of the child. Until he is five years old, he should not be allowed behind the monitor. In the future you should adhere to the following recommendations ophthalmologists:

Children of senior preschool and junior school age up to ten years old can spend no more than half an hour a day at the computer, while one session should not exceed ten minutes;

Children from ten to 14 years old can work for about an hour, taking a mandatory break every twenty minutes;

From 15 years to adulthood total time can be increased by another half hour per day.

If the computer clearly has harmful influence on the child’s health, it is necessary to exclude him from the student’s life.

How long can you sit at the computer and how to reduce harm

Adults often ignore recommendations about active recreation from working at the computer, but in vain. Just taking a break from the monitor is not enough: to minimize the harm to your health, you need to take a walk, ideally take a short walk on foot. fresh air.

Visual gymnastics also very important component maintaining health. What you can do:

Close your eyes and sit like this for a few minutes;

Make rotational movements with your eyeballs different sides, then down and up;

Looking out the window, look first at a point in it, and then, without changing the position of your head, direct your gaze further beyond the glass, to an object in the far perspective. Work with the focus close and far several times.

How long you can sit at a computer also depends on how well your workplace is organized. You should adjust the height of the chair and table, the position of the monitor, and be sure to provide good, even lighting, and the source should not be located next to the monitor. Every two hours you need to ventilate the room. By following all these rules, you can really reduce the harm from working with computer equipment.