Stay safe while clicking the keyboard
by Ryan Anthony
staff writer
Only one week of classes remains
in the semester. This means either
,A: you blow off whatever classes
you have left every day so you can
bask in the sun and anticipate the
quickly approaching summer, or B:
you barely have time to read this
newspaper because your butt is
glued to your chair as you sit and
type paper after paper, wondering
how your professors could possibly
have managed to squeeze three
extra assignments into the last week
of the syllabus.
If you are like most students,
choice B is correct. Shouldn't
professors know by now that all
these extra assignments cut into the
quality of work? Regardless, if you
selected B, chances are you will
find yourself sitting in front of the
computer for the next two weeks
until you are done with finals and
ready to go home. As long as the
next couple weeks will leave you
in a miserable situation, you might
as well make yourself as
comfortable as possible.
Simply adjusting your position at
your computer can get you through
those long hours staring at the
screen. Here are some hints to help
you end your semester on a high
note.
The layout of your desk plays a
big role in your comfort as you sit
at your computer. An improperly
placed keyboard or monitor could
be the reason behind your sore
wrists and stiff neck. When you set
up your room at the beginning of
the year, you probably did not give
much thought to the arrangement
that would be most comfortable;
Good health is no laughing matter, or is it?
Everyone enjoys a good laugh mentally. I've come up with a list
now and then, right? We've all had of reasons to incorporate laughter
a knee-slapping, uncontrollable, into your everyday life.
roaring, tear-inducing, fall-out-of- The act of laughing has several
your-chair fit of laughter at least physical implications. So you don't
once in our lives. But what if I told want to "hoof it" on the stepper or
you that laughter is shown to be a the treadmill at the gym? That's all
factor in overall good health? What right. Did you know that 20
would you say if'you found out that seconds of laughing is equivalent to
laughter might just be the best three minutes of cardiovascular
medicine around? April is National exercise, according to The World's
Humor month. Considering many Greatest Treasury of Health
of the holidays and observances that Secrets? Laughing also gives the
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your goal was to squeeze as much
stuff into your dorm room as you
possibly could. A whole branch of
science calls for you to rethink your
desk arrangements.
Ergonomics is the science of
work. It examines how you can
most comfortably get work done in
an efficient manner. Sitting
properly at your computer can ease
your tense muscles.
"My wrists get sore after I type
for a while," said eighth semester
student Fred Leyda. "When I was
doing a bunch of research for one
project I got a cramp in my hand
from using the mouse."
Other students complained about
neck problems.
"Sometimes my neck hurts
because I hold it funny whenever I
sit at the computer for a long time,"
said sixth semester student Heather
Green.
"My neck and back hurt after
sitting at my computer for long
periods of time," said Allison
Jawdy, a fourth semester student.
These are common complaints of
people who use computers
frequently. Carpal tunnel syndrome
and tendonitis, or repetitive strain
injuries as they are known, are
frequently diagnosed in people who
perform the same repetitive
functions day in and day out.
So what can be done to prevent
repetitive strain injuries? Follow
these guidelines to decrease your
chances of straining your muscles
the next time you type a paper.
Sit up straight in your chair with
both feet on the ground. Posture is
the most basic, yet essential part of
preventing repetitive stress injuries.
The position of your entire body is
important in creating a comfortable
Sweat, and Tears abdominal muscles a wonderful
workout by contracting and
h Orr we
Humor
ness month is definitely one
t deserves our attention. We
owe it to ourselves and each
other to take time out of our
hectic college schedules to
laugh.
I'm sure you're wondering
how humor and health are
related. The benefits of
laughter can be experienced
physically, emotionally, and
Above, Deanna Symoski sits with back straight and feet planted firmly
on the floor as she types at the keyboard. Both are key elements of
good posture. Below, a student at the kiosk in Reed exhibits bad
posture with an arched back and crossed legs while working at the
computer.
relaxing, as well as the legs, back,
respiratory, and facial muscles
between bouts of the giggles.
According to the website, Laugh
Out Loud to Good Health, biking
for 15 minutes or 10 minutes on a
rowing machine is equal to laughing
approximately 100 times.
Laughing can also dramatically
improve your mood and put a smile
on a glum face. There are many
beneficial effects of humor on the
emotions. Laughter is just the
physiological response to humor.
Humor can lighten your mood and
provides an easy way to get in touch
with your feelings, and break from
stressful situations such as the
pressures of work, relationships, or
illness. Laughter releases hormones
into the body that produce and
overall feeling of "happiness."
Laughing can also boost the
body's immune system. While
laughing, Gamma-interferon cells,
which are disease-fighting proteins,
are increased. T-cells and B-cells
are released as well. It also in
creases the concentration of salivary
overlook,
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immunoglobulin A, which protects
the body from infectious diseases in
the respiratory tract. When merry,
the body's blood pressure is reduced
because vascular blood flow and
oxygenation increase, which
promotes healing. Coughing and
hiccuping induced by laughter can
dislodge mucus plugs that have built
up in the respiratory tract. Some
also believe that laughter plays a
key role in preventing heart disease,
which is thought to be caused in
part by fear and anger.
So now that you know why
laughing is good for you, what can
you do to make it a part of your
everyday life? You should start
small. Tell a friend a good joke, but
be sure that it is a joke that will not
offend the receiver. Smile often and
at others. Smiling is contagious.
Try laughing at things you would
ordinarily not find humorous. Be
optimistic, and if you find some
thing amusing, don't try to suppress
your response. Most of all be sure
to spread the joy to those around
you. Laughter loves nothing more
than company.
working environment. Make
sure your head is as upright as
possible and your forearms and
upper arms are at a 90-degree
angle, with your forearms
parallel to the ground.
The positioning of your
hands is important as well. Keep
your hands and wrists as flat as
possible so that they form a
straight line with your forearm.
Bending your wrists to the right
or left as you type will cause
unnecessary strain. As you sit
at your computer, you may
realize that keeping your wrists
straight is difficult to do. If you
experience pains while typing,
look into purchasing an
ergonomic keyboard that is
shaped to allow you to properly
place you hands as you type.
Something many people
fail to realize is that padded
keyboard or mouse pads are not
for resting your wrists as you
type or scroll with the mouse;
the pads are there for rests when
you are not typing or scrolling.
Resting on pads while typing
forces your fingers to do most
of the work. Not only can this
cause problems for your hands,
but it can also cause your wrists
to become unfamiliar with the
typing motion.
When using your mouse,
be sure to keep it close to you.
Reaching across a desk causes
unnecessary movements that can
be damaging over time. Also,
try to adjust the mouse setting
so that the pointer moves as
quickly as you are comfortable
with, thus eliminating extra wrist
movement. Another thing
people commonly do is to keep
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wire service editor
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"Sometimes my
neck hurts
because I hold it
funny whenever I
sit at the
computer for a
long time."
-Heather Green,
a sixth semester
student
their hands on the mouse the entire
time they are using the computer.
When you are not using the mouse,
remove your hand from it and relax
your arm in your lap. You will be
amazed at the strain you can take
off your arm by doing this.
Finally, place your monitor at a
comfortable position in front of
you. Having the monitor off to the
side or tilted the wrong way can
have painful consequences.
Long hours in at a desk are going
to be unavoidable for many students
in the next couple weeks. Next
time, take a minute or two to make
yourself comfortable before you
start your work. If you know you
will still be sitting there a few hours
later, you will be happy you took
every precaution to make yourself
comfortable ahead of time.
WWI