Comfort and sustainability matter the most while setting up the home office. The chair is the essential component of your home office which should be top-notch in terms of comfort.
Attachment and removal of headrests may determine how comfortable you feel in your office chair.
Considering my comfort in my home office, I invested in a chair with a headrest. So, from my experience, I will guide you regarding everything you need to know about chairs with headrests.
Headrest comes in different types for different chairs. To add a headrest to an office chair, one needs to identify its kind and the chair model and adjust the particular headrest using either clips or nameplate screws.
Meanwhile, different brands produce headrests with other functions, properties, and costs.
So today, we’ll be going through a detailed discussion about the headrest to answer any questions you might have concerning it.
Table of Contents Show
Should Office Chairs have a Headrest?
There is not any compulsion or much-needed fact regarding an office chair to have a headrest.
Despite this, the headrest supports one’s head and neck. Many people could also ignore headrests.
A person with long working hours should purchase a chair with a headrest to be safe from discomfort caused by long working hours.
When buying a chair for a home office or even an office setup. It largely depends on your comfort zone and how many hours you work.
The headrest can be a helpful asset in your office chair, which has significant advantages.
As per the ergonomics (belonging to safety and convenience in the workplace) of chair, headrest of the chair is also considered to reduce tension in the shoulders, arms and torso by supporting the back of the skull and upper neck.
There are several reasons to use an office chair with a headrest. Following are the main reasons to use an office chair with a headrest.
1. Provides Better Posture
A headrest helps cushion their head and neck, causing less impact. This results in the proper position of the head, neck, and even spine, promoting good posture.
It encourages you to sit more upright while you’re seated in an ergonomic office chair with a headrest.
Initially, we tend to sit with good posture. However, after a while, when our neck and shoulder muscles become tired, we unconsciously slouch.
The research concluded that The headrest in the office chairs ensured a horizontal head position in the reclined seating position, which is most likely responsible for the forward rotation of the upper spine segments in the reclined seating position.
2. Provides More Adjustability
Another reason to use a headrest is its adjustability. The different headrests can be customized and used per the body’s shape and size.
In addition, you can have the feature of reclination in the chair, which provides adjustability.
3. Increases Comfortability
With adjustability comes comfort headrest that allows you to rest and place your head and neck during the discomfort. This creates a sense of comfort during work.
4. Increases Productivity
Productivity hugely depends on our comfort, efficiency, and our work behaviors. For example, using the chair with rest lessens our head and neck, avoiding discomfort.
This lack of discomfort directly increases our efficiency. But, most importantly, It allows you to rest for a specific period in the chair itself. This avoids fatigue and stress, which improves efficiency.
Can you Add a Headrest to an Existing Office Chair?
The simple answer is you can’t add a headrest to any existing office chair.
Instead, it depends on the type of chair, brand, and design to support the headrest, despite many ergonomic chairs that support it.
However, every market office chair doesn’t have the feature of a headrest; the headrest couldn’t be added on.
To add a headrest to an existing office chair, you need to buy an external headrest. You can also make a DIY version if your chair doesn’t support the headrest.
Here is the list of top office chair brands and whether they support external headrests.
| Office Chair | Headrest Description | Compatible Headrest |
|---|---|---|
| Herman Miller Aeron Chair | 1. Doesn't come with headrest. 2. External headrest can be added. 3. Adjustable Headrest | H3 Carbon Official Headrest |
| Steelcase Leap Desk Chair V2 | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External headrest can be added 3. Adjustable headrest | Lorell Hi-Back Chair Mesh Headrest |
| Steelcase Think Chair | 1. Doesn't come with headrest 2. External headrest can be added 3. Adjustable headrest | Lorell Hi-Back Chair Mesh HeadrestLorell Hi-Back Chair Mesh Headrest |
| Staples Hykken | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External headrest can be added 3. Adjustable headrest | ONLY FITS CLATINA XDD3 TITO Series Chair Mesh Chair Headrest |
| Eurotech Ergohuman | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External headrest can be added 3. Adjustable headrest | ONLY FITS CLATINA XDD3 TITO Series Chair Mesh Chair Headrest |
| Nightingale IC2 | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External headrest can be added 3. Adjustable headrest | Lorell 86000 Series Exec Chair Adjustable Headrest |
| Steelcase Gesture with headrest | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External Headrest can not be added 3. Adjustable headrest | External Headrest unavailable |
| Herman Miller Cosm | 1. Comes with headrest 2. External headrest can not be added 3. Non adjustable | External Headrest unavailable |
Many of you may be thinking about ordinary chairs, such as the wooden chairs people use in their homes or any other chair used for essential purposes.
Can you attach the headrest for that chair?
The answer is similar to what I previously answered. The different chairs have headrest features as per their brand, design, and price.
Types of Headrests and Their Benefit
There are numerous chairs with headrests on the market today, each with its advantages and cons.
We’ll be going through 3 types of headrests commonly used with their benefits.
1. Built-in Headrest
Built-in Headrest is an oversized backrest with a built-in headrest in the chair’s back.
Job holders in higher positions are the most likely to use a chair with a built-in headrest. This is so because of the supremacy shown by the big back of the chair.
The advantage of these chairs is their built-in headrest features, which avoid adding an external one. Its main drawback is an unadjustable headrest due to built-in property.
2. Height Adjustable Headrest
With its name, it’s clear that this type of headrest comes with a height-adjustable feature. This height-adjustable feature provides comfort to people of any height.
A simple drawback of the height-adjustable model is that you can’t adjust the angle of the headrest pads.
Buy a height-adjustable chair on Amazon.
3. Fully Adjustable Headrest
The fully adjustable model comes with both height and tilt adjustment. This headrest has the edge over others with height adjustment that fits any height.
And also with tilt adjustment, which lets you adjust the pad angle of the headrest. This tilt adjustment allows you to angle the pad to the area of your head you feel discomfort.
The simple drawback of this headrest is they are pretty expensive than other chairs with headrests.
You can find this on Amazon.
4. Chair with a Headrest Pillow
This type of headrest is most common in gaming chairs. However, one can even use such a chair as an office chair. The perks of this chair are its variety and cost-effectiveness.
Moreover, the height and tilt adjustment depend on the chair itself. But most chairs lack the adjustments.
These chairs are cheaper than random leather chairs with headrests.
You can buy a Chair with a headrest pillow on Amazon.
Office Chair Headrest Position
The headrest position determines the efficiency of an office chair with a headrest. Using a headrest in an incorrect place may work against you, producing many problems.
The correct position is mainly based on human anatomy. Therefore, the human anatomy has a significant role in determining the proper place.
The best position to avoid discomfort is to keep your back straight and pay attention to your head and neck muscles.
Most chairs have a headrest that forces your head forward to prevent reclination.
However, one should avoid this headrest style since it puts additional strain on your head and neck muscles.
The ideal position for a headrest in an office chair is to be just above the backrest or slightly away from the backrest, allowing you to relax your hair.
Adjustable headrests with height and tilt adjustments are more practical than other headrests.
Your office chair should also match the desk in your office. Do check: What is the Right Size Desk for your Home Office?
Step-by-Step Guide on Attaching Headrest to an Office Chair
You might not realize it, but many office chairs without headrests have the option of adding one.
Let me guide you through every single step one by one.
Method 1: If the headrest is aligned to the top of the back of the chair.
Step 1: Identify the Type of Headrest that Fits your Chair. You can buy various headrests available in the market. However, ensure the headrest you purchase is compatible with your office chair.
Step 2: Suppose your headrest has an attachable portion in the mid of the chair. Remove the nameplate screw with the help of a flat screwdriver.
You will notice two small holes near the top of the back of the backrest.
However, there may not be a nameplate screw in every kind of chair. Sometimes, you may have to drill small holes.
Step 3: On those two holes, align the headrest in the center. Adjust the height of the headrest according to your need.
Step 4: Use the nameplate screws and tighten those screws with the help of a wrench. Make sure they are tighter enough.
Method 2: If your chair’s headrest is attached to both left and right sides with metal clips.
Step 1: Find an Ideal Headrest. You can buy various headrests available in the market. However, ensure the headrest you purchase is compatible with your office chair.
Step 2: Firstly, add metal clips on both the left and right sides of your chair, with tabs facing away from the back of your chair.
Slide the clips down to rest on the small bump. Some headrests could only use screws on each of the sides.
Step 3: Settle the headrest on the chair with the front edge over the top edge of the chair. Adjust it according to the required height.
Step 4: Fit your headrest on the clips and tighten with the screw in all parts, including the left side, right side, and middle of the headrest.
Step-by-Step Guide on Removing Headrest to Office Chair
Here is a step-by-step guide on removing the headrest from the office chair
Step 1: Find the proper wrench to remove the screws. First, remove all back shroud screws and nameplate screws. For the headrest with metal clips, first, remove the nameplate screws.:
Step 2: Remove the headrest from the metal clips if your headrest is attached to metal clips.
Step 3: Gently fill the holes with the tabs. And place your screws safely.
DIY Headrest for an Office Chair
Even wooden and regular chairs of yours could have a built-in headrest facility. However, if your chair doesn’t support the headrest, you can use the DIY version.
Not every kind of chair supports an external headrest. Therefore, the DIY headrest can be customized per the consumer’s needs.
Another perk of a DIY headrest is that a DIY headrest will be cheaper in customization than a home office chair with a headrest.
You can easily make a DIY headrest for your office chair. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Place the Pillows
Here, the pillow placed at the top will provide extra support to your neck and head.
Place a cushion on the backrest (long side up), and the other pillow should be on top.
You may now use these cushions as a backrest. Make sure it meets your needs and provides excellent back support and posture.
The cushion for your headrest will be the pillow on top. Unfortunately, that won’t work since the top pad will bend down at the chair’s backrest edge.
In such a case, styrofoam could be of help.
Step 2: Install the Styrofoam
Measure the height you want for your headrest using styrofoam. Remove any excess.
Then, at the bottom of the styrofoam, cut a gap. Make sure it’ll fit through the backrest of the chair.
Get a rope (or something similar) and tie the styrofoam to the backrest to keep it together.
Step 3: Cover the DIY Headrest with Fabric
Use the fabric to hide everything. The material will also hold the two pillows together.
It’s as simple as wrapping it around the backrest and your new headrest and tying it at the back.
Some other alternatives as headrests are:
- Using any spongy soft foam. Rigid foam can give extra tension to your head
- One can even use a pile of clothes, which will support the head and neck.
Key Takeaways
The headrest can be a crucial component of your chair. Most importantly, the headrest works great for proper posture, rest in between works, and even supports your neck muscles.
However, you must always consider its types and built-in feature. Likewise, one should always use the headrest per their needs and work hours.
To sum up, purchasing a chair with a headrest fully adjustable could be helpful for any job with long working hours.
