One of the most important steps in building the perfect home office is choosing the perfect desk. The desk will be the heart of your home office. Where you conduct your work, and keep all of the most important things together. However, if you don’t choose carefully, you can easily end up with an unsuitable desk that’s uncomfortable and inefficient to use.
To help with choosing the perfect desk, one of the most important things to consider is the desk’s height. The right desk height will ensure maximum comfort while working, to make those busy work days go by a little quicker.
But why does desk height actually matter? And most importantly, how high should your desk actually be in a home office? Our Reliant tech experts have done the digging to find out!
Keen to get your home office kitted with all of the right furniture? Here’s how to choose the perfect desk right from the start!
Why Does Desk Height Matter?
Before we go about finding out the optimal height for an office desk, it’s worth establishing why it’s so important to do.
Good desk height helps to protect your posture. Protecting your posture helps to stave off back and neck aches. This means you won’t find yourself suffering long after you’ve finished up the working day.
The reason desk height matters is that it has a positive impact on your posture. If your desk is at the wrong height, it can cause you to bend and contort your body in subtle ways. For instance, if your desk is too low, and your computer screen is thus lower than it should be, you’re more likely to slouch. Over time, maintaining a slouched posture will put a strain on your back and neck. This will lead to various aches and pains that will keep you from truly relaxing even well after the working day has wrapped up.
Unsuitable desk height can also affect how well you work. Studies have shown that desks that are too short or too high can result in much higher levels of distraction. When your desk is at just the right height, it’s much easier to retain your focus on your work and shut out all distractions.
How High Should Your Office Desk Be?
Ultimately, there is no single height that a desk should conform to. This is because the optimal height will depend on how tall the user is. For taller people, the desk will need to be much higher. For shorter people, the desk will need to be much lower.
To find out if a desk is the right height, you should make sure of a few things. First, you should make sure your feet sit flat on the ground. If your feet can’t sit flat on the ground, it’s likely that not only your desk, but also your desk chair are too high! You should also try to make sure your knees are level with your hips when sitting!
Secondly, you need to make sure your arms are in the right position. When a desk is at the right height, your arms should be resting on the surface, at a right angle, relative to your sides.
Your feet and arms need to be in the right position while you are sitting with your back straight against the chair. For maximum comfort, you should try to grab a desk chair that offers support for your upper and lower back.
How High Should A Standing Desk Be?
Again, the optimal height for a standing desk will be determined by your overall height. You should make sure both feet are flat against the ground, your back is straight, and your arms are at a right angle to your body.
Luckily, many standing desks can be adjusted as you see fit. For example, electric standing desks allow you to change the height by using some basic “Up” and “Down” control buttons. These desks are great for those who like to switch between sitting and standing, as the height can accurately be adjusted to suit the user’s needs.
What Height Should Your Computer Monitor Be At Your Desk?
To ensure you can achieve the right posture at your desk, you’ll need to make sure your working materials are also at the right height. If you’re working from a computer, laptop, or tablet, you should preferably have it at eye level. When a display is at eye level, you can keep your neck in a neutral position, which puts less of a strain on it.
It’s not just the desk that should be at the right height. For maximum comfort, you should make sure that your computer monitor, laptop, or tablet is at eye level. This allows you to keep your neck neutral.
Improper display height will cause you to bend your neck just to be able to make out the screen. Though you may not notice your neck bending while using the display, you will eventually notice the long term effect it has. By the time you clock out and move away from your desk, you’ll find that your neck has a distinct ache!
Frequently Asked Questions
How High Should Your Office Desk Be?
For optimal comfort, your desk should be at a suitable height for your own height. So, if you are a taller person, you’ll need a taller desk than someone who is much shorter. The optimal desk should allow you to see your computer screen at eye level, while your feet are flat against the floor, your back is straight, and your arms are at a 90-degree angle.
Is It Better To Have A Desk Too High Or Too Low?
Neither is good. You should make sure your desk is at just the right height. Especially if you plan to work for hours at a time. When your desk isn’t at the right height, you will be more likely to slouch. Of course, slouching can have a direct impact on your overall posture, and can cause pain in your neck and back!
