Interior Design Wellbeing: Is Your Wall Mounted Television Damaging Your Neck and Back?
In recent years, there has been a huge increase in homeowners desiring giant flatscreen televisions for their homes. The bigger the better, it seems is the trend, regardless of whether one lives in a typical British two-up two-down house, or a mansion. Televisions are, of course, a 21st century, modern-day staple in homes, and I for one, do not have any qualms with this. During the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, televisions came into their own, as being a major, and in many cases, the sole source for daily news updates and entertainment. It is, therefore unsurprising that, in August of 2021, in an article entitled “Britons spent third of time watching TV and online videos in 2020” The Guardian newspaper reported, that in the U.K. alone, householders have spent an average of 5 hours and 40 minutes per day watching television and online videos. Put simply, we have spent over half, circa 56%, of our free/social time, i.e. time excluding working hours, watching television. Wow! I’ll let that sink in for a second! Given we spend so much of our free time watching television, isn’t it only right, that when choosing to buy a new television, the right purchasing decisions are made? But, what exactly are these purchasing decisions?
If I were to ask homeowners, what factors would influence their television-buying decision, the most common answers would be the price of the television, its size, the specifications, brand reputation and status, as well as product reviews. As a homeowner, are you guilty of this? Are you guilty of wanting to purchase a television based on its looks, its price, and because the cute little retail assistant has you completely hooked on its all singing, all dancing features? No doubt, your desired television is the crème de la crème of all televisions, but how much thought have you put into whether, the television is the right size for your room? where exactly in your room will you put this television? and if the television is to be wall mounted, where will you position it? More importantly, will the positioning of your much desired television cause you physical pain and negatively impact your health and wellbeing?
Understandably, these questions aren’t very sexy! In fact, they take the spark and excitement right out of buying a new television. Time and time again, however, as a holistic interior designer, I am seeing a trend towards giant flat screen televisions being cramped into tiny rooms and worse, mounted ridiculously high. So high in fact, that they run the risk of encroaching on ceiling space! Yes, slight exaggeration there, I know, but, it is becoming so insanely common that one can be forgiven for being so facetious! Worse still, is the fact that, on a daily basis, I am seeing fellow interior designers jump onto this trendy bandwagon and are designing wall mounted televisions into their clients homes, without a single thought given to how, ergonomically, this will adversely impact their clients’ health. I reiterate, I have no qualms with large screen televisions per se, nor do I have any gripes with fellow interior designers. For me, as someone who not only designs home interiors for maximum visual impact, but with your health and wellbeing in mind too, your desired flatscreen television must have context, and correlate to the space into which it will be installed, and holistically, it must not adversely affect your health and wellbeing.
How Placing Wall Mounted Televisions Too High Damages Your Musculoskeletal System
With the ever-increasing desire to have the largest television that one can possibly fit into a room, comes the even bigger trend to mount televisions onto walls, and herein lie the potential issues. Personally, given the choice, I would always opt for a wall mounted television, regardless of its size. Ask any professional interior designer, and they will tell you that wall mounted televisions will add a much more modern, sophisticated, minimal look to your room’s interior. Wall mounted televisions are also space saving solutions such that, the dimensions and layout of a room might accommodate a giant wall-mounted television, but have insufficient space to house a floor standing television media unit of that magnitude, thus leaving you with no alternative but to wall mount your dream television and free up floor space to accommodate other furniture. It is not, therefore, the act of mounting a television on a wall that is the issue, but the television’s placement on the wall, and its distance from you, the viewer, that are detrimental to your health. In this article, I will address the impact of how placing a television too high on a wall can damage your neck and back. In a separate article, I will explore the negative impacts of placing large screen televisions too close to viewers.
When you conduct a Pinterest search for wall mounted televisions, with the click of a finger, thousands of images are generated. Upon closer observation of these images, you will see that most of them show televisions mounted well above a viewer’s eye level. But, if mounting televisions on walls too high is so detrimental to our health and wellbeing, why then, do we do it? Moreover, why has it become so popular?
The 3 Most Common Reasons Why Televisions Are Mounted Too High On Walls
Televisions Mounted on Chimney Breasts and Above Fireplaces
In the U.K. barring new-build homes, most traditional British homes have chimney breasts and fireplaces. For many householders, the space above these fireplaces seems to be the most ideal spot to place their large screen televisions, especially where rooms are small. Putting aside issues regarding electrical units being placed above heat sources, from a health and wellbeing perspective, the major problem with mounting a television above a fireplace is that it is never going to be at eye-level……unless, you choose to stand for the entire time that you’re watching television! When sitting, eye-level is typically at 100-120cm from floor level. On chimney breasts, it is the fireplace and mantelpiece that will meet eye-level, as typically, mantlepieces stand at circa 137cm from floor level. With a minimum clearance of 15cm above the mantlepiece, the centre-point of an 85inch television for example, will be at circa 1.8-2m above floor level, thus forcing viewers to raise their heads significantly in order to watch television. Whilst you may not think this is an issue for short viewing periods, with the average Brit watching almost 6 hours of television per day, the detrimental impact will soon add up.
Example of a Television Mounted too High Above a Fireplace
This is a clear example of where the fireplace position has forced the mounting position of the television above eye-level
2. The Growing Desire for Built-in Television Media Walls and Storage
To create a focal point in a room and where space is available to do this, many homeowners are opting for bespoke built-in storage and media wall units. Some are built into alcoves and taken across chimney breasts. Others are built along entire lengths of walls, and some along walls with projections to disguise their unevenness and create a more cohesive look. The major driving force behind these decisions is typically, the desire to preserve space and optimise on storage solutions. Most media wall units are designed to have storage units below the television, similar in style to free standing sideboards. Typically, these storage units are built to a height of 70-90cm, thus reducing the space available for televisions and forcing them to be mounted further up the wall. In comparison, freestanding television media units are constructed to a height of circa 50-55cm. The logic behind this is that, even with a large scale television, the centre point of the television will be at, or slightly below eye level. Given that television media unit heights are rarely higher than 55cm, why then would we go against the norm and mount televisions much higher up on walls than they would sit on television media units? This leads me nicely into my final point.
Example of a Built-in Media Unit with Wall Mounted Television
In this image the television has been mounted into a built-in media unit, where its line of sight is above eye-level
3. Mounting Wall Decor at Standing Eye Level for a More Aesthetically Pleasing Look
When walking into a room, without thinking about it, our first observations are of decor and elements that greet us at eye level. Standing eye level, which is circa 150 - 165cm, serves as an anchor point for scanning a room and helps us to create our first impressions of it. It is only natural and understandable, therefore, that homeowners would want to place items on a wall at standing eye level and this is where most fall into the trap of mounting their televisions too high. Whilst standing eye level is suitable, ideal and even recommended for the installation of wall mirrors, wall art and other decorative items, it is far from ideal for mounting televisions. Logically speaking, we don’t tend to look into wall mirrors or observe artwork for long periods of time when sitting down. Likewise, we don’t watch television when standing. Unless, of course, we are in a kitchen, standing and watching television whilst cooking! Standing eye level, in most cases, should therefore, not be used as a guide for mounting televisions on walls.
Example of a Television Mounted at the Same Height as Wall-Art
Here is a clear example of a television mounted at standing eye-level and at the same height of wall art.
The Detrimental Health Implications Of Mounting Televisions Too High On Walls
Now that we know the most common reasons why televisions are mounted too high on walls, let’s turn our focus to the detrimental impact this ill-positioning has on our health, specifically on our muscular and skeletal system. To gain a medical perspective, leading West Midlands chiropractor and owner of Stafford Chiropractic Clinic, Mukesh Madhar, writes:
“Mounted televisions have recently increased in popularity due to their ability to save space, act as a focal point of the room and because of their aesthetically pleasing features. The ideal height of a television should position the centre of the screen at eye-level height when the viewer is seated. This allows the viewer to embrace a choice of positions comfortably, without creating tension and pressure in their joints and muscles. However, when a television screen is mounted on the wall, it typically hangs higher than eye-level and therefore forces the viewer to adopt a single position of poor posture, known as cervical spine extension, for prolonged periods of time, thus altering neck and spinal alignment. This can lead to problems in the musculoskeletal and neural systems, as well as cardiovascular issues.
Due to the implementation of mounted televisions in patients’ homes, we are experiencing more patients attending our clinic with neck and shoulder complaints from repeated poor posture. In the short term, patients are experiencing headaches from tight neck and back muscles, particularly those in the base of the skull and neck, and increased stiffness and pain in the neck, back and shoulders. Patients are also experiencing muscle spasms and a range of issues associated with difficulty in sleeping.
Extended exposure to this posture can cause long term effects due to uneven pressure on the interverbal discs, which can eventually result in pressure on the spinal cord, with patients then experiencing symptoms elsewhere in the body, such as pins and needles in their hands and arms. If left untreated, a patient’s symptoms can become chronic and their symptoms can become worse, which can occur daily and affect every aspect of a patient’s daily life, including their ability to work, sleep and socialise.
If you are experiencing such symptoms, we recommend that you visit a chiropractor to get your spine checked regularly. Chiropractic treatment uses a range of techniques and modalities to restore posture and reinstate normal range of motion and function of the muscles and joints, allowing the joints to open and move more freely. Treatment can also help to relax tight muscles, which can improve patients’ symptoms, by removing the restrictions throughout the muscles and alleviating symptoms, such as the onset of headaches.”
As you can see, Mukesh has clearly outlined the major detrimental impact that ill-positioned wall mounted televisions can have on our health, from headaches to musculoskeletal and neural system damage, and even cardiovascular issues; none of which should be taken lightly. But let’s be honest, how many of us would have thought that these major health issues could be brought on by, and be the result of, ill-positioned wall mounted televisions? Not many, I’m sure! Now that you are aware of this, you are in a much better position to make informed decisions about the television you buy, and feel assured that it will not adversely impact your health. With that in mind, and to help you further with your television buying decision, here are some ways in which you can improve your television viewing experience without adversely impacting your health and wellbeing.
3 Ways To Ensure Your Wall Mounted Television Is Ergonomically Positioned for The Best Viewing Experience
Mount Your Television At Seated Eye-Level
As mentioned earlier, the most ideal position to mount your television on a wall is to ensure it is at seated eye level. To clarify this means that the centre point of your television screen should meet at eye-level. Typically this is at 100-120cm from floor level. However, eye-level height varies from household to household. The television viewing height for a family with an average height of 6ft will be different to that of a household with an average height of 5ft 5”. Therefore, for your particular household, play around with the 100-120cm seated eye-level height, to find the sweet spot that works for your family.
Position Your Television Directly Opposite Your Seating Area
For the most comfortable and immersive viewing experience, position your television directly in front of your seating area. Setting televisions off at a wide angles from your seating area, such as the corner of a room, will have the same detrimental impact on your musculoskeletal system as would placing them too high on walls. Obviously, if you’re watching television as a family, not everyone is going to be able to sit in the same exact seat directly opposite the centre most point of the television screen. In such cases, and with the latest technology available in new televisions, a horizontal angle of +/- 30 degrees is acceptable.
Position Your Television at the Correct Viewing Distance
Many people don’t put much thought into the size of their television, other than to buy the biggest television screen that will fit on their wall. However, ensuring your television is positioned at the most ideal viewing distance for its size, is important. Most manufacturers recommend a viewing distance of between 1.5 to 2.5 times the television’s diagonal screen measurement. For an 85” flatscreen television, the recommended viewing distance would be between 3.2m and 5.4m. If your room is too small to achieve the recommended viewing distance for your desired television, then buy a smaller television…..Simples!