MICRO-BREAKS: BOTH HEALTHY AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCING

 

For large sectors of the working population, spending all or a portion of the week working from home has become part of the ‘new normal’ working landscape. Working from home is also known as teleworking, and while there are likely to be positive consequences of this shift in working practices (e.g., reduction in commuting time, opportunities for better work: life balance), there are also potentially unintended adverse health effects

Those who work in an office already know that they tend to sit for most of their day. Although many people have transitioned in recent years to working full-time from home, enjoying a level of freedom they didn’t have in the office, many do not utilize this freedom properly. In most cases, people working from home still sit on a chair in front of the computer for many hours throughout the day.

Niven, A., Baker, G., Almeida, E.C. et al. in an interesting study “Are We Working (Too) Comfortably?”: Understanding the Nature of and Factors Associated with Sedentary Behaviour When Working in the Home Environment [Occup Health Sci 7, 71–88 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-022-00128-6] showed that people working from home tend to sit even more than those working in an office, and considering all the negative health effects of prolonged sitting, we need to learn how to cope with it to prevent them. The trick is very simple – micro-breaks.

 

What are Micro-Breaks?

Micro-breaks are very short breaks lasting just a few minutes. Even without doing stretching exercises, these micro-breaks help muscles adopt a different posture from the one they’ve been in for long minutes, allowing them to rest a bit. Of course, engaging the body during these breaks is more effective, but the key is simply to stop what you were doing—namely, sitting—and do something else.

Rather than pushing through our work, these micro breaks can help us address any immediate physical, mental, or emotional needs. They are proven to improve performance, motivation, and concentration and increase overall wellbeing. They can also decrease stress, and even improve how you see your job, which may help you avoid common work-related injuries. Micro breaks can revitalize you in the short term, allowing you to feel more resilient when challenges arise, and protecting you from burnout in the long term.

 

 

How Often Should You Take Micro-Breaks?

Micro-breaks can last one minute or even up to 10 minutes, depending on your body’s condition. For example, studies found that for those with high blood pressure, a 5-minute break is recommended [Duran et. al . Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose–Response Analysis of a Randomized Crossover Trial. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 55(5):p 847-855, May 2023. | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003109]. What’s truly important is to take such a break every 20-30 minutes. This could be a bathroom break, drinking a glass of water in the kitchen, or simply standing and doing a short breathing exercise.

 

The Health Benefits of Micro-Breaks

This topic has been studied extensively, and researchers have discovered many benefits to micro-breaks. Here are three of the most prominent ones:

1. Reducing Pain Related to the Musculoskeletal System

The original idea behind micro-breaks was to reduce the pain experienced by office workers. A study published in 2021 showed that micro-breaks indeed help reduce muscle fatigue, and you’ll feel the impact immediately once you start [Radwan, A., Barnes, L., DeResh, R., Englund, C., & Gribanoff, S. (2022). Effects of active microbreaks on the physical and mental well-being of office workers: A systematic review. Cogent Engineering, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2022.2026206]. If you tend to experience any discomfort in your back or shoulders after prolonged sitting, try micro-breaks and see if they reduce the strain and pain.

2. Increased Energy Levels and Improved Concentration

A 2022 study showed that micro-breaks can restore energy to the body and prevent fatigue [Albulescu P, Macsinga I, Rusu A, Sulea C, Bodnaru A, Tulbure BT. "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 31;17(8):e0272460. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272460. PMID: 36044424; PMCID: PMC9432722]. You’ll feel this effect especially during the hours when you tend to lose energy, such as after lunch or toward the evening. Furthermore, researchers suggest that micro-breaks can help tackle very challenging work tasks by resetting your concentration. For this, a 10-minute break is recommended.

3. Improved Mental Health

A small study conducted in 2020 found that micro-breaks improved the mental health of office workers [Mainsbridge CP et.al. Taking a Stand for Office-Based Workers' Mental Health: The Return of the Microbreak. Front Public Health. 2020 Jun 11;8:215. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00215. PMID: 32596199; PMCID: PMC7300182]. Another study from 2022 showed that micro-breaks helped nurses cope with stress at work and this was during the COVID-19 period [Wang H, Xu G, Liang C, Li Z. Coping with job stress for hospital nurses during the COVID-19 crisis: The joint roles of micro-breaks and psychological detachment. J Nurs Manag. 2022 Oct;30(7):2116-2125. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13431. Epub 2021 Aug 25. PMID: 34327761]. If you feel that some days at work are overwhelming, try incorporating micro-breaks. Simply give yourself a chance to disconnect from work for a few moments before returning, and do so frequently.

 4. Improve efficiency

As mental and physical tiredness sets in, concentration, memory, and efficiency can decline. Micro breaks help by resetting the brain's focus, making it easier to tackle tasks with renewed energy and attention. This can enhance the quality and speed of work, and also stimulate creativity, as giving the brain time to rest allows for subconscious processing that can lead to creative thinking and problem-solving.

5. Improve Job satisfaction

Job satisfaction is closely linked to the work environment and your ability to manage stress and workload. By adding microbreaks into the daily routine, employees feel more in control of their workday, leading to higher job satisfaction. This positive attitude can improve the workplace atmosphere, and encourage a culture of wellbeing and support. 

6. Prevent Burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It can lead to a significant drop in productivity, feelings of detachment, and a loss of personal identity. Micro breaks can help prevent burnout by ensuring that employees have regular opportunities to rest and recharge. This not only preserves preserves long term health and wellbeing but also maintains enthusiasm and motivation for work. 

Are There Any Downsides to Micro-Breaks?

Like everything in life, micro-breaks have both advantages and disadvantages, including:

1.      Disruption to Workflow: Since you’re “committed” to disconnecting from work every 20-30 minutes, this might happen just when you’re in a flow state.

2.      Difficulty Returning to Focous: While micro-breaks can reset concentration in situations where it’s hard to maintain, they might also do the opposite—disrupt you when you’re most focused, making it hard to return to the same level of concentration afterward.

3.      Timing Challenges: Depending on the type of work you do, you might find it difficult to time micro-breaks exactly as recommended. This might be easier for those working from home or on their own schedule but problematic for those managing meetings, for example.

 

Tips for Incorporating Micro-Breaks into Your Workday

On the surface, it sounds simple—get up from your chair every half hour for 2 minutes. And it is simple, but it requires consistency. These tips will help you stick to this new technique to improve your workday and health:

·        Create Reminders: If you’re not used to working in short bursts, you might need a reminder to get up after 20-30 minutes. Set an alarm to track the times when you should take a micro-break.

·        Do a Different Activity Each Break: Create a list of activities you want to incorporate into your day—ones that can be completed in a few minutes. This will help you complete tasks or things you wanted to do but didn’t find time for.

·        Consider Your Needs: If you feel tired and need an energy boost, do light physical activity during the micro-break. If, on the other hand, you feel unfocused at work, try a calming activity to clear your mind.

·        Be Flexible and Patient: It’s not “all or nothing.” There will be times when you can’t take a scheduled micro-break, and even days when you can’t take a single one properly. That’s okay. The key is not to give up. Eventually, it will become a healthy habit.

 

Micro-breaks are a wonderful way to help the body avoid the harms of prolonged sitting. They allow us to create a framework that ensures we get up from the chair from time to time to do important or desired activities, or simply to restore the energy, focus, and calm needed for work. Try it for a week and see how you feel. You can also share this article with a friend and do this experiment together for a week or more. You’ll see that you’ll want to continue!