The Advantages of a Standing Computer Desk

Health Benefits

• In the study, “Research into the Sedentary Behavior of Australia's Working Population, ” Associate Professor David Dunstan showed a relationship between extended periods spent sitting and an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Standing workers move around more, lessening this risk.

  In another study, “The Benefits of Sitting and Standing to Work,” Mark Dohrmann, a certified professional ergonomist, found that workers experience less back pain when they alternate periods of sitting and standing. Dormann also found that workers were healthier when they alternated between sitting and standing than when they sat exclusively or stood exclusively. Standing computer desks allow users to alternate between standing and sitting by using taller chairs or stools.

  Workers have a natural tendency to walk and move around more while standing. The increased exercise results in better circulation and less fatigue.

Productivity Benefits

• The benefits that standing desks contribute to productivity overlap the health benefits somewhat, as healthier workers tend to be more productive.

  Users of standing computer desks can alternate between standing and sitting. The Dohrmann study also found that workers preferred adjustable-height furniture that let them alternate periods of sitting and standing.

  Standing while you work improves concentration by increasing blood flow to the brain. This results in clearer thinking and the ability to focus on problems more intensely for a longer period of time.

  The Dunstan study found that prolonged sitting increases the chances that workers would develop chronic disease, and that these unhealthy employees missed twice as many days from work.

Other Benefits

• Standing computer desks make it possible to place the monitor in a greater variety of positions, minimizing the user’s discomfort.

  Standing desks make extra storage space available beneath the desk, and that storage is much easier to use because the desktop is higher.

  The combination of standing computer desks and fully adjustable chairs allows a greater number of people to work at a given desk comfortably. This means it will cost less to create work areas that a large number of workers can use.