Sitting for long periods on a chair or the floor is a task that no one likes. But people working in offices have complained about sitting on chairs for long hours. This has led to a change in our workplaces in recent times.
Floor chairs with lumbar back support and ergonomic chairs with adjustable features have become increasingly important. Padded floor seating is extremely good for your back if used correctly, as they ensure correct posture, reduces body ache (mainly neck, shoulder, and back pain), and helps keep the spine straight.
In this article, we are going to evaluate the floor chairs we commonly see in the market.
Table of Contents
What Are Floor Chairs Called?
Floor chairs are often called ‘Zaisu Chairs’ or ‘Tatami Chairs .’These Japanese chairs have a padded chair back but do not have legs. These chairs are mostly found in traditional Japanese rooms and are used to watch TV, meditate, relax, or read.
While this furniture piece was invented in Japan, its popularity has rapidly increased throughout the world, and these chairs are now used by many. Tatami chairs come in various designs and shapes. Small, compact options are also available for people living in small spaces. These chairs are available in two versions: metal and wood.
Are Floor Chairs Good For Back?
There are certain factors that prove floor chairs are good for the back. Here we are discussing some of them.
Correct posture
Emphasis has been laid on the importance of sitting with the correct posture throughout history. Back supportive chairs help one improve their posture and sit upright, which develops a habit in the long run.
This is fairly important if you spend a significant part of your day in the office because your seating position might not be correct, leading to physical pain and discomfort in the future.
Sitting in one position for long periods can also adversely affect your low back angle and pelvis movement. Sitting on the floor helps you keep your spine straight, improving your posture in the long run.
Pain Reliever
Incorrect sitting posture can result in back, hand, shoulders, legs, and in general, body aches. Sitting on floors or back supportive chairs allows you to have a correct sitting posture which prevents or reduces body aches.
Better Flexibility
Sitting on the floor enhances the blood circulation process in your body, making your body feel active. One’s flexibility also increases by sitting on the floor because the muscles in the lower half of the body, including the spine, legs, hips, and pelvis, are stretched continuously.
Better Strength
Sitting on a chair for long periods can result in postural issues, including severe back pain. By replacing your chair with a padded floor chair, you can strengthen your shoulder and back muscles due to constant body movements. Doing so will help you nourish your core muscles.
Relieves Pressure
Sitting in the same position for a long time can result in the building up of pressure in the back and legs of a person. A floor chair helps reduce this pressure by allowing you to form a comfortable posture.
Sitting On The Floor Vs. Sitting In A Chair: Which One Is Good For Back?
Now, this section is for all of those folks who still have doubts about the benefits of sitting on the floor. Nevertheless, I am not ruling out regular chairs. But floor chairs can really bring some interesting changes to your back problems.
Health Benefits of Sitting on Floor
- Better Digestion: Health experts have emphasized the importance of sitting on floors over the years. One of the major reasons for this is that your position while sitting on the floor improves the release of digestive juices and helps give movement to your abdominal muscles.
- Lengthier lifespan: According to a study by a European journal in 2012, there is a direct relationship between being able to stand up from the floor and a lengthier lifespan.
- Healthier Mind: Yoga has been known to help relax the mind with its easy-to-do exercises. Meditation can be used to describe yoga which includes sitting and standing free-hand exercises. Two common yoga poses that are known to relieve anxiety and provide a healthier mind include Padmasana and Sukhasana. These yoga poses can be practiced when sitting on a meditation chair, which also promotes the release of oxygen and increases the flow rate in the human body, which reduces stress and anxiety.
Health Benefits of Sitting on a Chair
- Comfort: Ergonomic chairs helps one adjust their features to ensure a comfortable sitting experience. This is especially essential for people who work in offices and experience prolonged chair sitting hours.
- Productivity: A comfortable sitting experience will ensure increased productivity, concentration, and willingness to work.
- Lesser pressure & tension: Regular chairs provide armrest, headrest, and lumbar support, which reduce pressure and tension on your shoulders, unlike other chairs.
While there are health benefits to sitting on a chair and floor, both seem correct. One must choose their preferable style according to their comfort level. It is also important to understand the importance of changing sitting positions frequently.
Is Sitting Cross-Legged On Floor Good For You?
The cross-legged position is the most comfortable and easy position to acquire when sitting on the floor. This shifts the weight of your upper body on your hips and helps stretch the lower body parts.
While sitting cross-legged can be beneficial for people as it helps form the correct lower and upper back curvature and stabilizes the pelvic and lower back region, it can cause serious issues if positioned incorrectly.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor can also aggravate lower back pain and bad posture. To prevent such adverse impacts, one must keep their spine straight when sitting in a cross-legged position and avoid hunching. To avoid such issues, one must also avoid putting weight on their feet rather than their hips.
Sitting with your legs crossed is a yoga position that makes the digestion process easier and quicker. When you place your food on the floor while eating, you have to bend forward when taking a bite, and then you come back to your original position.
This process is repeated many times till you have finished your meal. This movement helps create digestive enzymes in abdominal muscles, which enhances the overall process of digestion.
According to research sitting cross-legged on the floor has numerous benefits, including better flexibility, circulation, digestion, and lesser hip tension and back stress.
While sitting on the floor with legs crossed has its benefits, it is important to consider that it does have some disadvantages, which include overstretching of knee muscles leading to undue pressure on knee joints and back discomfort if you sit in a hunched position.
Pros & Cons Of Floor Chairs With Back Support
With the invention of floor chairs in Japan, people’s lives around the world have become easier. While padded floor seating provides comfort and other health advantages, it must also be considered that floor chairs have disadvantages.
Pros
- Reduces back pain
- It provides greater comfort if working for longer periods.
- A padded floor chair is extremely handy since it can be placed anywhere.
- Provide greater freedom to move.
- Floor chairs are extremely portable, which helps people living in small spaces use them.
- A memory foam floor chair gives a comfortable sitting experience as it conforms to your body through its various adjustable positions.
Cons
- Some people might face balancing issues with padded floor chairs.
- Not all floor chairs have sufficient ergonomic features that allow people to form a comfortable posture.
Conclusion
According to a well-known study, 80% of a person’s lifespan is defined by their lifestyle choices and environment. Keeping this in mind, striving for a better lifestyle would help improve health and make one’s lifespan lengthier.
Sitting on the floor has multiple health benefits that cannot be undermined. But sitting on chairs also provides a few advantages. To understand the option that suits you more, you must keep experimenting and see which option suits you the best and makes you feel more comfortable.
