This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FIU chapter.
Finals week is upon us and that can only mean one thing: all-nighters. If you’ve ever spent more than an hour studying or leaning over your laptop watching GOT, then you surely know how grueling those positions can make your neck and back feel.
Exams come with unavoidable stress, but as students we need to be mindful of the importance of our posture. Below are some tips to optimize focus and minimize back pain.
- Instead of being higher than your desk, lower your seat so that you are at eye level, or looking up. This will reduce neck pain from having to constantly be staring downwards.
- For every hour you study, don’t be afraid to take a 5-minute break to stretch and roll your neck, arms and shoulders. Doing these exercises will help reduce tension in the muscles.
- Shift your laptop backwards, keeping your arms a little further away from your chest will help improve posture.
- Place a rolled up sweater behind your back to facilitate thoracic extension.
- Invest in a foam roller. This technique will help massage any muscles that become tense.
- After you leave the library for the day, before going to sleep, take a few minutes and lie on the floor at a right-angled wall stretch. Like the name says, this will help stretch your entire body, while giving your back a flat position.
Maintaining good posture has been correlated to good health. Not only does it offer physical benefits but it can also provide a positive mental well-being!
Study hard, fix your posture and may the curve be ever in your favor.
In text photography credits: Tenor GIF Keyboard