Typing is a core part of daily work for countless professionals worldwide, be it writers, programmers, students, gamers, remote workers, or freelancers. Although typing is a core digital skill in today’s age, prolonged typing sessions often lead to typing fatigue that usually starts as a minor discomfort in your fingers or wrist and soon evolves into serious issues like repetitive strain injuries (RSI), carpal tunnel syndrome, or chronic hand pain, if ignored.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent typing fatigue and it involves understanding the root causes. Once you understand what causes typing fatigue, you can easily take measures to prevent it. So let us break down the main causes of typing fatigue and how you can avoid it.
Poor Posture and Ergonomics
One of the leading causes of typing fatigue worldwide is poor body posture and poor ergonomics. Poor posture puts strains on your neck and shoulders, misaligned wrists and elbows can lead to pain and inflammation, and uncomfortable chair or desk design can cause uneven pressure on arms and hands. Over time, these issues add up and cause serious typing fatigue.
To prevent it, maintain natural posture while typing, keep your back straight, adjust chair and desk height, adjust the monitor at eye level, and invest in ergonomic chairs, desks, and keyboards that support your body properly, and increase your comfort level.
Inadequate Keyboard Design
Not all keyboard designs are created equal. Flat and compact laptop keyboards can force your hands into unnatural positions, causing you to angle your wrists outward or downward. That can cause typing fatigue. Similarly, stiff or shallow keys require extra force, tiring your fingers faster.
To prevent these issues, it is recommended to use an ergonomic keyboard that follows the natural curve of your hand. Use a low-porous or mechanical keyboard with soft keys that reduce the strain per keystroke, and use a wrist support or gel pad to support your wrists.
Muscle Overuse Over Long Periods
Typing is a repetitive task that sometimes extends over hours. Continuously typing for extended periods without taking breaks can lead to overuse of the same muscle groups that can lead to the development of repetitive strain injury (RSI) or tenosynovitis. Plus, overusing can make your fingers become fatigued, sore, and stiff. Moreover, there is also the risk of the development of long-term problems like chronic hand pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.
This problem can be fixed by taking microbreaks after typing for a while, usually 30-60 minutes, to stretch your fingers, rotate your wrists and shoulders, and shake your hands loosely for 10–15 seconds. You can also alternate between typing and voice input to reduce muscle overuse.
Incorrect Hand Position and Typing Technique
When people don’t learn to type the right way, they develop bad typing habits such as hovering fingers over the keyboard, pressing keys too hard, or using only a few fingers for typing. These habits are not good for long typing sessions, as they increase the muscle load unnecessarily, increase strain on specific fingers, and slow down your typing speed.
To prevent it, practice proper touch typing technique that involves using all fingers on the home row, retraining your hand movement, and typing with minimal force. You can take a speed test here to see how well you can type and learn to reposition and retrain your hand movement.
Mental Exhaustion and Burnout
Typing fatigue isn’t only physical; mental exhaustion plays an important role too. Long periods of typing and concentration can lead to mental exhaustion and burnout, which often translates into physical tension. Most people start typing at a normal pace, but over time, brain fog makes their body feel sluggish and tired. To prevent this, incorporate mindful breathing while typing, limit long typing sessions, take frequent breaks, and stay energized while typing.
