There is a bench, a tree and a short break. For many workers the lunch break outside is the easiest change in the day, and it is easy to underrate. Two NIOSH pages and one CDC page explain why it is worth planning.
The break itself
A NIOSH update from May 2000 describes a study of 42 data-entry operators. Four 5-minute breaks were added to their regular two 15-minute breaks, and the workers reported less eye soreness, visual blurring and upper-body discomfort. Output, measured by keystroke counts and typing accuracy, was comparable under both schedules. The study is old and specific, but it is NIOSH’s own account of what short breaks did on the job.
Some daylight
NIOSH’s sleep bulletin has a line for the middle of the day: spend 30 minutes or so outside in the sunlight. Lunch is the obvious place to do it, and it pairs with a short walk.
The sun-smart basics
Outdoors also means sun, and the CDC’s sun-safety page is practical about it:
- Timing. UV rays are strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time, or 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time.
- Shade. An umbrella, a tree or another shelter, with sunscreen and protective clothing still recommended.
- Clothing and hat. Long sleeves and long pants when practical, and a brimmed hat that shades the face, ears and back of the neck.
- Sunglasses. A pair that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
- Sunscreen. Broad-spectrum, SPF 15 or higher, in a thick layer on all exposed skin, put on again after more than two hours outside and after swimming, sweating or toweling off.
- The UV Index. The CDC says to protect the skin when it is 3 or higher.
