Guide · Hand at chin
Resting your chin on your hand
Thinking hard, you prop your chin on your hand. It feels restful, and it can leave your jaw and neck tight by the evening.
By Shyam Verma · Updated
Where you feel it
What it does to your body.
Jaw
Your head’s weight pushes on your jaw, often on one side.
Neck
It stays turned and tilted. OSHA notes that keeping the head turned for long periods loads the neck muscles unevenly.
One shoulder
The arm holding your head lifts that shoulder and keeps it there.
Why it happens
The moments that set it off.
- Reading or thinking
- Long video calls
- Feeling tired
- A desk too high for your elbows
Tips and tricks
Break the habit.
Hand down, head up on its own
Hands down
Rest your hands on the desk or in your lap.
Lips closed, teeth slightly apart
Jaw loose
Lips closed, teeth slightly apart, tongue resting. Let your jaw go soft.
Tired is the cue
If you prop your head because you’re tired, take a short break instead.
Up, back and down
Roll it out
Slow shoulder rolls and a gentle look over each shoulder.
Watch
Two short videos.
Videos by other organisations, on YouTube. Nothing from YouTube loads on this page until you open one.
How Poxture notices it
A nudge while it’s happening.
Poxture notices a hand resting at your chin or jaw. When it stays there for three checks in a row by default, it nudges you.
- OSHA, Computer Workstations eTool: Monitors (head and neck turned to the side for long periods).