Office Chair For Studying: Is It Good For Long Term?

Studying requires one to focus while sitting comfortably in their chairs. Thus, a student might wonder if an office chair is good for studying or not.

Office chairs provide students with adequate comfort and functionality that help them study. For long hours of study, an office chair is a good option because it provides the students with ergonomic benefits that keep their focus sharp.

Standard chairs do not perform the same as office chairs while studying. Read the article to know why you should consider getting an office chair as your main study chair.

What Types Of Chairs Are Good For Studying?

When compared to the normal chairs used for studying, two types of chairs perform far better. They are office chairs and gaming chairs.

Both offer different features and advantages while having a few common ones. Office chairs are more functional in comparison. If your main goal is to study better, then you are better off with an office chair than a gaming chair.

Office Chairs For Studying

Firstly, let’s discuss office chairs that are good for studying for long hours. Not all office chairs provide the same benefits while studying. Some outperform others. These are the best types of office chairs for studying.

Forward-Leaning Office Chairs

The very first recommendation for an office chair for studying is a forward-leaning office chair. The reason is the practicality of the use for students.

When students study, they have to read from books and take notes, as well as write down their study materials and other information. To complete these tasks, students must stand close to the desk and lean down.

For a better perspective, imagine a book instead of a monitor. If you are working in front of a monitor, then you are gazing straight at it with your head straight. But when you are reading a book, you have to look downwards at the desk.

These positions demand that the students lean in closer. For that reason, sitting in a forward-leaning office chair helps them. The position provides them with the natural leaning forward position needed to study from their notes or books.

The chair needs to have an adjustable leaning seat. You may not want to have your chair leaning forwards at all times, but at specific times when you are using a book or other study material.

In that case, you can adjust the curve upwards so that it functions as a normal chair. Being able to switch between the two helps with movement, which helps to keep our bodies free from constant pressure.

Office Chairs With Displaceable Armrests

If you look around the market, you will find many chairs that have displaceable arm-rests. The function of this is to make the armrests parallel to the structure of the chair when you do not need them.

This helps in two ways. Firstly, you can use the armrests when necessary. Secondly, you can set them aside when you don’t need them.

When you set the arm-rests aside, you free up more space in front of the chair. This is advantageous for students. While studying, one may have to stay close to the desk for various reasons. If your chair has fixed arm-rests, it will block the front part of the chair.

Then you will have to adjust with little coverage on your back due to having to sit at the edge of the chair. This harms your posture and concentration and can cause health issues in the long run.

At other times when you are typing, you might want your elbows to rest on the armrests. That is why being able to switch between the two helps students a lot.

Office Chairs With High-End Back Support

Back support plays a key role in maintaining your posture in the long run. If you are a serious student who is going to study for long hours in your chair, then you want your study chair to have good back support.

Many office chairs offer this feature. The reason it is so important is that when you do not have proper back support, your body is tempted to arch inwards.

This inward arching gives your body a donut-like shape, which is very bad for the spine. If you continue to stay in this position for too long, you will develop muscle soreness and lower back pain.

Many think that it is due to their posture, and they are right to some extent. But the reality is that it might not be your fault at all, but the chairs.

When you have good back support in the chair, your body finds it more comfortable to spread the weight around the support and stay in that position. This makes it easier for you to maintain your posture.

Choose office chairs that have a slight inward curve at the back. The curve should not be too much, but enough to support the natural position of the spine.

Having A Headrest On Your Study Office Chair

We have already talked about why students have to lean forward to study. But while studying, you should not always stay lean.

At times, such as while recalling information or mind mapping, or at any moment when you are not looking downwards, you should have your head straightened. Keeping our heads bent at the neck puts pressure on the spine.

Even a slight bend, such as 15 degrees, can go on to double the pressure on the spine. Directly bending your neck in positions where your chin is close to touching your body should be avoided at all times.

You do not want to suffer from bad neck pain due to not having proper head support. This factor helps a lot with office chairs with head support. The head support allows you to have your head rested on it, relieving the pressure on the spine.

You can adjust the angle of the headrest in an office chair to have maximum comfort while studying. In the long run, this helps a lot, not only in the overall ergonomics of your chair but in your focus as well.

The Comfort Of Studying In Office Chairs

All standard-type office chairs are made with the view that people are going to sit in them for long hours. Thus, the comfort of the people during that time is a major priority.

There are various designs, cushion types, leather usage, and many other features that have been specifically added to make the chair experience more comfortable.

If you choose an office chair for your studies, you will find that the chairs are very comfortable to sit in. There are multiple reasons for that, from the structure to the extra features.

Firstly, office chairs provide open seats with great cushioning. This makes you feel at ease while sitting in the chair.

Secondly, office chairs provide you with the option to adjust the height of the chair. As a student, no matter what your height is, you want to have your feet planted on the ground while you are sitting down to study.

You can simply adjust the height of the chair by using the lever at the side of an office chair to match the length of your legs. This gives an overall comfortable sitting experience.

Office chairs are better overall compared to standard wooden or plastic chairs used for studying. Comfort should be the main factor while choosing your chair for studying, and office chairs are very good at providing it.

Office Chairs With Multiple Sitting Postures

With a large portion of the population spending time studying in chairs, ergonomics is a top priority. Modern office chairs have unique designs that offer various sitting positions.

You are not limited to sitting in one posture but rather can switch to sitting on your knees or bending down if needed on these chairs. Examples of such chairs are double-layered chairs, yoga ball chairs, etc.

The key principle here is to not have the students stay in the same positions for long periods. It is the same as using a standing desk with a regular desk, only that these are special chairs instead of tables.

It is debatable as to how much these are effective because some people feel that moving around too much might end up distracting them from their studies.

Freedom Of Movement In Office Chairs While Studying

You have to keep in mind that your body needs a certain amount of movement to keep itself healthy. Thus, it is necessary to have freedom of movement in your chair while you study.

Firstly, you should be able to move your body slightly in your chair while you are studying. You do not want to feel stuck or cramped in your chair.

Because they have a wheel attached to their base, office chairs allow you to easily move from one part of the room to another. You can push off from the desk to reach the other side easily. This saves time and also adds a fun factor to the study sessions.

You should get up from your chair once in a while to avoid suffering from long-term muscle soreness. You might consider taking a walk or doing some stretching in the room. This rule will help a lot to keep your body healthy in the long run, regardless of the chair, you are using.

A Gaming Chair For Studying

Another good alternative to study chairs is a gaming chair. Firstly, most of the Mazor brand gaming chairs come with common features such as high-end back support, neck support, and other extra options.

Gaming chairs also provide the students with a comfortable sitting arrangement. They offer a good degree of freedom as well.

Gaming chairs do have a few disadvantages while studying compared to office chairs, though.

Firstly, the size of gaming chairs is often larger than normal chairs. This means that it will take up more space in front of the desk.

That makes it a hassle if you are setting up a group study table, as you will have to sacrifice more space. Not to mention, adding too many gaming chairs to a study area might not be budget-friendly.

However, if you have a gaming chair in your home or want to buy one for your personal use, a gaming chair will serve you well.

It should be mentioned that gaming chairs have extra features and distinctive looks to please the different aesthetics of gamers. All these features are not needed for a studying chair and can be somewhat distracting.

Final Words

Office chairs serve well as study chairs. Many options are budget-friendly. This further eases things for students.

While comparing the advantages of office chairs to those of gaming chairs while studying, office chairs do perform better in this regard. So, if the mentioned features are present in the chair, selecting an office chair for a long period of study is a good decision.