Hey, I’ve got a horrible problem. I recently purchased a Mac PowerBook, my first laptop. I decided to use it to read in bed every night, like I used to read books in bed as I fell asleep. But I’m having bad ergonomic problems that are causing me to have terrible headaches.
Obviously the best way to use a laptop would be in your lap. Unfortunately, due to a strange ear problem that screwed up my sense of balance, I can’t stand lying on my back, I even sleep on my stomach. When I read a book in bed, I usually lie on my side with my head on a pillow. But when I do this with the laptop, I have to hold my head up because I can’t turn the laptop like a book so the lines of text line up with my eyes. The best I can do is tuck one corner of the blanket under the side of the laptop to tip it up halfway in alignment with my eyes, and hold up my head in hand. For example, I type with the right hand and support my head with the left. And there’s the problem. I get a horribly stiff neck, even if I switch positions from side to side, and I get terrible headaches. I tried using a pillow to prop up my head instead, but I can’t get the proper angle, it’s too low, and I can’t read the text at such a crazy angle.
And that’s just the problem with passive surfing. If I want to type, I just lie on my stomach, supporting my upper torso with my elbows, and set the laptop in front of me. This means I have to slide down the bed with my legs sticking way out. Not such a bad solution, but my arms get numb after a few minutes like this, and holding up my neck in an unnatural position adds to the muscle tension and stress.
So… what’s a computer addict to do? Please, avoid the old joke about “doctor, it hurts when I do THIS”…“so don’t DO that!” I just wonder if anyone had some good suggestions to improve bed/laptop ergonomics.
Best thing I could think of is to pile pillows under your chest, and put the laptop on the bed in front of you. Other than that, I can’t think of a comfortable position.
Actually, come to think of it, have you tried putting pillows beind you and sitting up against the headboard? Put another couple of pillows on your lap and put the computer on top of those, so you don’t have to crane your neck downward. Put a couple of pillows under your knees to relieve pressure on your back.