Notebook computers
are easy to adore—but hard on your body. Here are
5 easy fixes.
It’s no wonder laptops are now more popular
than desktops—they’re just so liberating. But anyone
who loves her laptop knows there can be agony in all that
ecstasy: Using them regularly can make your neck throb,
eyes ache, and shoulders cry uncle. Thankfully, some simple
accessories and adjustments can help ease the ache without
tying you down.
Anti-glare filters can help reduce the eyestrain you can
get from staring at shiny, reflective screens (you tend
to blink less when looking at them), says ergonomics expert
Alan Hedge, director of Cornell University’s Human Factors
and Ergonomics Laboratory. The Protection Filters from
3M ($35 to $55, depending on monitor size, at Staples)
attach to your screen with small plastic clips. If you
need both a glare fix and an answer for nosy java-joint
neighbors, 3M’s Privacy Filters ($40 to $60 at OfficeMax)
make your screen seem black to anyone not looking at it
dead-on.
Traded your desktop for a laptop but still feel tethered
to your desk? A stand can help eliminate many problems,
including the back and shoulder pain that Boston University
researchers recently documented in 90 percent of laptop
users they studied. Experts say the aches come from squeezing
your arms together to finger a laptop’s compressed keyboard
and hunching over to see the low screen. The APC Ergonomic
Notebook Stand with USB 2.0 Hub ($79.99 at Best Buy) offers
relief by elevating your screen to eye level and providing
space and hookups for a full-size keyboard and mouse.
The stand connects to your laptop via a short USB cable,
and you plug the other devices into the stand. Got to
run to a meeting or catch a flight? Just unplug the one
USB cable from your laptop and go.
The right laptop case is a must for long airport dashes
that can do a number on your shoulders and back. That’s
why wheeled bags are so popular with the frequent-flyer
crowd. We like the Travelpro Runway Deluxe Brief/Tote
($199.99 at Marshall Field’s and Bloomingdale’s), with
single-hand operation and ergonomic zipper pulls. For
the nonwheeled, try the American Chiropractic Association–endorsed
Kensington Contour Carrying Case line ($59.99 to $129.99,
depending on bag size, at Best Buy, Circuit City, or www.kensington.com).
Because the case hugs your body, the laptop feels lighter,
and the heavily padded strap eases shoulder strain. Another
smart option: the classy Pacific Design Urban Executive
Case ($99.95 at www.pacificdesign.com),
whose vertical style allows you to more evenly distribute
the weight of your computer on your hip.
Most laptops heat up pretty fast, and a cooling pad can
protect you from the kind of thigh burns reported by laptop
users in a number of medical journals. A pad might also
guard against another problem identified in a recent State
University of New York at Stony Brook study on men: hikes
in scrotal temperature, which can decrease fertility.
Take the edge off with the comfortable and lightweight
(less than a pound) Targus Chill Mat ($29.99 at CompUSA
and Staples), a sleek silver pad that uses ultraquiet
fans to suck heat away from your notebook. The mat makes
your computer run cooler on both your legs and hard surfaces,
and that may extend its life.
Beyond accessories, Cornell’s Hedge says just taking a
breather can do wonders for aches and pains. But if you’re
so busy blogging that you forget to step away and stretch,
try reminder software. Stretch Break 6.0 ($44.95 at www.stretchbreak.com)
flashes a box on your screen every 30 minutes (or however
often you like) with directions for three quick body and
eye stretches. It plays soothing music, too.
Regular use of those Lilliputian keyboards on personal
digital assistants (PDAs) like the BlackBerry can lead
to thumb tendonitis. “If you’re text messaging ‘R U there?’
you’re probably not going to have problems,” says Cornell
University ergonomics expert Alan Hedge. But lengthier
missives mean trouble. His advice: Keep your wrists straight
while typing, rest arms on pillows, and take breaks. Better
yet, connect a specially designed Man and Machine keyboard
($80 to $189 at www.man-machine.com).
They’re big enough to let you type with all your fingers,
water resistant, and rubbery so you can roll them up for
storage.
— Rachael Moeller Gorman writes
about science and health on her brand-new notebook computer[MDASH]with
a stand and external keyboard, of course.
