The ideal studying position calls for a straight spine, elbows bent at an angle of 90 to 110 degrees, feet flat on the floor and eyes pointed directly at your reading material. Quick: How many of these are you doing correctly?
According to Dr. Carolina Carmona, a research physical therapist at the Feinberg School of Medicine, this posture helps lessen the stress on lower back muscles and the neck, the two most commonly affected areas of a student’s body.
"Poor posture while studying changes the natural curves in your spine," Carmona says. "Over time, muscles and soft tissues are going to be overloaded and then inflamed. Blood flow may be compromised. Pain will manifest as headaches—and anywhere in the back or upper extremities."
But if you’re not a stickler for proper posture, there’s no need to overstretch yourself trying to follow these rules. Using a few objects around your dorm or apartment and making some adjustments to your workstation can make all the difference. After all, who consciously and repeatedly tells themselves to sit up straight? You’ve got other things to worry about. Instead, we've got you covered with some expert tips to help ease that studying strain.
An “S” Curve is the Best Curve
“When you sit, especially over desks, that arch in your lower back goes away, and you put a lot of load on your vertebral disks,” says Dr. Mark Sleeper, a physical therapist at the Feinberg School of Medicine. “Because of a flat back or flexed back posture, the disks can get injured.”
Sleeper says the key to protecting the lumbar spine (lower back) from chronic posture problems is to help maintain the small arch that appears when you’re sitting. To keep the lower back comfortable, try the following:
- If you use an office chair, adjust the height so your feet are flat on the floor and you’re not straining your back to bend over your work. Sit with your back all the way against the chair to help keep the small arch.
- If you can't adjust your chair, use pillows or blankets to pad the seat and back, forming an arch shape to guide your posture.
- Use an exercise ball as a chair. “The ball really forces the use of the muscles to support yourself,” Sleeper says.
Keep up your Necks-ercise
"A flat top desk is really not designed for good body mechanics,” Sleeper says. “Basically, if you’re over your laptop, or you’re over a book, you bend your neck forward and that puts strain on the disks and the muscles of the neck.”
Instead, find ways to reposition your reading materials. For example:
- Use other objects to prop up and hold your book so it’s tilted toward you like a laptop screen. This helps you look straight at the book instead of looking down.
- Keep your textbook or laptop in the same spot in front of you, not off to the side. Carmona suggests keeping your laptop screen about 18 to 24 inches away from your eyes.
Rest your Wrist
Hand cramps are a common side effect, especially if you’re endlessly tapping away at your keyboard or taking notes by hand. While you can adjust your chair to accommodate the recommended elbow angle, you can also:
- Purchase pads or use pens and pencils with bigger grips that are about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, according to Sleeper.
- Pad your keyboard with something soft so your wrists aren’t pressed against a hard surface.
Give Yourself a Break
“The ideal situation is to have a good balance between exercise, building muscle strength and flexibility,” Carmona says.
Sleeper recommends taking two- to three-minute breaks every 20 minutes. Stand up, stretch and even jump around if you want to, because any activity will help the lubricating fluids in your joints move. You may be in the middle of reading the most fascinating paragraphs ever printed in a textbook, but these breaks will keep your joints healthy in the long run.