Is your child’s grade in school falling? It could be because of bad posture

Why the age-old saying, sit with your spine straight is worth following

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: January 19, 2018 4:27 pm

If you are done with all the scolding, beating and enrolling in 100s of different classes to improve your child s grades and nothing yielded results, it s time to sit back and rethink your actions and that of your child s too. When we say, Sit back, we mean it in a very literal way sitting straight and upright, for both you and your child. Not able to understand what we mean? Well, check if your child is sitting at his desk in the correct position (enrolling in classes won t help). You might not know but the way your child sits at this desk during study hours has a lot to do with improving concentration, being alert and improving grades. Read to know if it is okay to sit cross-legged at the desk. Also Read - Do you sit for prolonged periods? Just 11 minutes of exercise a day can help keep diseases at bay

Also Read - Struggling to stay focused at work? Eat this not that

Your posture gives a lot of cues about your well-being and mental health. A sluggish or lethargic posture means you are exhausted and stressed. An active or upright posture is a reflection of your happy mental state. Right from kids to elderly, whether one is a desk jockey or an athlete everyone should adopt the correct posture as it goes a long way in ensuring good health. Surprisingly, it has been noted that posture also improves the level of concentration in kids and makes them more alert, says Dr Nilesh Makwana, Director and consulting physiotherapist, Muscle N Mind Physiotherapy Centre, Mumbai. Also Read - How many calories do you burn while sitting, sleeping, walking + other leisure activities?

If you thought sitting at your desk and slouching or hunching would not do you any harm, here Dr Makwana says how correct sitting posture actually helps:

When one sits up straight, they are more likely to remember positive memories or think of something positive in general, according to a Dutch behavioural scientist.
A study done by researchers in Columbia and Harvard University showed how posture helps in regulating hormones in the body, they took human saliva for testing and measured Cortisol (C ) and Testosterone (T) levels. It was found that effective posture helps in increasing level of testosterone and decreases the cortisol level. Testosterone helps in developing resistance to disease and helps improving leadership abilities. Did you know sitting long hours at your desk can actually make you sad or depressed?

Here is how your child should be sitting at his desk while studying :

The right posture for sitting: Sitting upright with the table in front, not bending or leaning forward is the ideal way to sit. The table should be as near as possible to your child. A pillow can be kept behind the back and the elbows should be supported too. This avoids strain on neck and back and reduces the load on the spine.

Setting the desk right: The desk should be at a proper height. The ideal height is from floor to elbow level. This allows your arms to rest. However, the book holder should be kept elevated. There are tables which come with adjustable block specially made for reading. These tables are good, if you don t have a table as described, you may use wooden block or pillow to elevate books and get them to a comfortable level.

The correct angle for reading: Keep your book at a level so you don t have to strain your neck too much while reading it. This allows minimal stress on eyes and neck while continuous reading. This gives best possible vision for the reading too.

Here are positions your child Should Avoid while studying

The lying down position: This is a favourite among most students. They like to lie down while reading. But this position induces sleep and reduces brain s capacity to learn.

Walking while reading: Many kids like walking and reading, but don t encourage this habit. Remember, walking is an exercise which increases the heart rate and tends to put the brain in the exercise mode. This makes a student tired faster.

The other obvious posture which should be avoided is slouching and hunching at the desk.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published : January 19, 2018 3:06 pm | Updated:January 19, 2018 4:27 pm

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