Luckily, it’s easy to make gaming chairs more comfortable, and, in most cases, you only need a neck pillow or lumbar support. Otherwise, improving your body posture and adjusting the seat height and armrests—as well as taking a break every once in a while—is all it takes to buff up your chair’s comfort level.
Before diving into the details, here’s a TL;DR:
How to Make a Gaming Chair More Comfortable?
- Improve your sitting posture.
- Adjust the seat height.
- Use a neck pillow.
- Utilize the armrests.
- Provide support to your lower back.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Gaming Chair More Comfortable
Disgruntled gamers usually ask: how do I stop my gaming chair from hurting my back?
The short answer involves basic steps like correcting your sitting posture, planting your feet evenly on the ground, and adjusting the seat height so that your knees and thighs are at a 90-degree angle.
You should also invest in a neck pillow that provides cervical support to your neck and rely on your chair’s armrests to support your shoulders and upper body.
Finally, lumbar support is crucial to keep your back upright with no forward slouch.
Each of these steps will get you one step closer to a comfortable and enjoyable gaming experience. Read on to learn how these fact-based strategies are so effective in preventing backaches and correcting horrible postures.
Step 1: Improve Your Sitting Posture
One of the main reasons gamers find their gaming chair uncomfortable at first is an incorrect body posture.
Slouching or leaning forward puts stress on your back and neck muscles. That’s why the best posture for gaming chairs is to sit upright with your back planted against the backrest allowing your core muscles to support your upper body. As for the neck and shoulders, keep them relaxed in their natural position.
Also, remember to take frequent breaks; don’t let those serious gaming sessions stop you from getting up from your chair and taking a short walk!
Breaks are necessary to prevent muscle stiffness, fatigue, and improve blood circulation.
Step 2: Adjust Your Gaming Chair Seat Height
The next step is to adjust your seat height, which is linked to your lower extremities. A seat that’s too high puts too much pressure on the knees, thighs, and pelvis, whereas a chair that’s too low transfers that pressure to your back, neck, and shoulders.
The goal here is to find the perfect seat height that feels natural and doesn’t place your body under unnecessary stress. To achieve a natural sitting posture, sit with your feet placed flat on the floor and then adjust the seat until your thighs and knees are at a perfect 90-degree angle – that’s about it!
Consider investing in a footrest if you cannot touch the ground with your feet. Most gaming chair footrests are available online under the gaming chair accessories category.
Step 3: Use a Gaming Chair Neck Pillow
Often overlooked by gamers, neck pillows are beneficial in providing support to the cervical spine, i.e., the neck and lower part of your head. They help the cervical spine maintain its natural curvature and, in turn, reduce the risk of neck stiffness, otherwise known as ‘nuchal rigidity.’
Since gamers spend long hours sitting in fixed positions without moving their heads around too much, a neck pillow becomes necessary (because it alleviates pressure from the neck).
These pillows can also help reduce the risk of developing postural problems such as “text neck” or “tech neck,” whichever term you prefer!
But before using a neck pillow, it’s essential to position it correctly for maximum support and comfort. To do that, ensure that the gaming chair neck pillow position doesn’t bend your head forward. If it does, adjust the pillow’s height to fit between the curvatures of your cervical spine.
Step 4: Utilize the Armrests
Some gamers think armrests force them to adopt uncomfortable positions, but the opposite is true; armrests are helpful—if not crucial—for maintaining an upright sitting position.
For starters, they help alleviate the strain from your neck and shoulders by supporting your upper torso and help gamers maintain a natural and comfortable body angle.
Moreover, armrests improve blood circulation to your chest, arms, and hands and help prevent muscle stiffness and numbness. And if that’s a convincing enough argument, they even help reduce the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), a condition that arises due to using gamepads for prolonged periods.
Armrests don’t require much user adjustment. Make sure they aren’t placed too high, so you can comfortably place your elbows on them while you sit in a gaming chair.
Step 5: Make Sure Your Lower Back Has Support
The last advice we have to offer to gaming chair comfort seekers is to consider adding lumbar support.
Lumbar support is a supportive pillow that helps maintain the natural curvature of the lower spine. In addition, it alleviates pressure from your tailbone and lower back by evenly distributing your body weight and promoting an upright sitting posture.
If you’ve tried all the techniques above, but the gaming chair still feels uncomfortable, then investing in a lumbar pillow on a gaming chair could be the solution.
The good thing about lumbar pillows is that you can always put a pillow on your gaming chair or buy a gaming chair seat cushion replacement with built-in lumbar support. These cushions and pillows can be found at most online retailers.
Placing these pillows on a gaming chair is easy. Start by sitting on your gaming chair with your feet placed firmly on the ground. Then take the pillow and try to place it between your tailbone and rib cage.
Just try not to place it too high, as that will put too much pressure on your upper body, causing it to slump forward. Instead, position it beside the lumbar part of your spinal cord, and you’re good to go.
Are Gaming Chairs Comfortable for Long Hours?
Gaming chairs are designed specifically for long hours of use. Features like lumbar support, armrests, footrests, and thick padding improve your upper body posture and prevent fatigue. Additionally, some gaming chair cushions feature coccyx support which further reduces pressure points and dramatically boosts comfort.
Top 3 Comfortable Gaming Chair Recommendations!
Do you still feel uncomfortable in your gaming chair? Then maybe it’s time to upgrade.
You see, there are no one-size-fits-all gaming chairs. Each is designed with a certain height and weight in mind, so if you feel you’re too big or small for your gaming chair, you might have to buy a new one.
To save you the trouble, we’ve handpicked some of the best professional and comfortable gaming chairs for adults:
Footrest Series GT800A: A comfortable and relaxing gaming chair equipped with a headrest, a lumbar massage pillow with a 360-degree swivel, premium PU leather material, and an adjustable backrest with a tilt angle of up to 135 degrees.
- Most Comfortable And Relaxing: Equipped with headrest and massage lumbar pillow. When your neck feels sore from gaming or working with head down for a long time, the headrest will relieve your fatigue. When tired from maintaining a same sitting posture, please rest assured to lean back and charge your waist pillow, it will relax your tired waist energetically.
- More Stable Than Others: Common gaming chairs are equipped with plastic legs generally to save costs, but we still insist on applying the same material as the built-in metal frame. No fear of high or low temperature, no fear of the sunshine, no fear of wind, it will not rust and break. Whether child rolls on the chair or a pet jumps up excitedly, the sturdy metal legs will keep the chair stable firmly.
- Liberate Your Feet: Will you feel tired for sitting all the time? Sure. Then you can choose the chair with footrest to relax your feet. When you don’t want to straighten your back and sit, just take out the footrest, put your feet up, turn on your favorite music, and start enjoying the comfort! And don’t worry about clean, it is also made of high-quality PU leather, just wipe it with a soft cloth and it will shine as new.
Homall Gaming Reclining Chair: A soft, cushy, comfortable, yet heavy-duty gaming recliner with high-quality PU leather and a recline angle of up to 165 degrees. The gaming chair slash recliner also includes a built-in, sturdy steel footrest for maximum comfort.
- Quality Material：This gaming recliner is made with comfortable skin friendly high-quality PU leather and high-resilience & high-density thicker sponge which create a more comfortable gaming environment.
- Diverse Use: The recliner can be used as three kinds of shape from 90 to 180 degree, suit for gaming, working, watching movies and napping.
- Gamer Friendly: Compared with the racing gaming chair, gaming recliner is bigger and softer, it’s more suitable for your long time gaming. A built-in waist massager can relieve discomfort from sitting too long.
YSSOA Swivel Recliner Chair: An excellent option for people on a tight budget. But despite its low price tag, the YSSOA Swivel Recliner Chair offers fantastic built quality, a 360-degree swivel rotation, and a recline angle of up to 120 degrees.
You can check out this comprehensive Best Reclining Gaming Chairs with Footrests blog for a full in-depth review of these chairs and more.
- [Racing Style] This gaming chair is wrapped in black and red leatherette and carbon-fiber in a sleek, race-inspired shape, providing immersive gaming experience.
- Comfort Design - Ergonomic design helps you maintain a neutral, balanced posture. Well-padded seat, lumbar & headrest cushions make gaming sessions more enjoyable
- [Fully Adjustable] Large angle adjuster provides perfect angle support from 90 to 120 degrees to suit all your needs. Gas lift cylinder allows height adjusting from 16 to 19 inches. Full 360 degrees of swivel rotation enable dynamic movement.
FAQs About Gaming Chairs
Some frequently asked questions related to gaming chair comfort.
How Do Pros Sit When Gaming?
Pro gamers sit with their backs straight against the backrest, feet placed flat on the ground, and arms resting comfortably on the armrests. This is the best body posture to alleviate pressure from your back, neck, and shoulders.
Is a Gaming Chair Good for Your Back?
Gaming chairs are great for your back because they’re designed with the spinal cord’s natural curvature in mind. This ergonomic setup prevents poor blood circulation, muscle fatigue and promotes a natural sitting posture with no forward slouch.
Are Office Chairs Better Than Gaming Chairs?
No, office chairs aren’t designed with gaming in mind and may be uncomfortable during extended gaming sessions. They usually lack essential gaming chair features, such as lumbar support, headrests, and armrests.
Why Does My Tailbone Hurt When I Sit In My Gaming Chair?
Cheap gaming chairs with poor lumbar support, rigid seats, and inadequate padding can lead to excessive pressure on the tailbone, which may lead to permanent back injuries. So don’t be cheap; invest in a high-quality gaming chair with proper back, arm, neck, and shoulder support, and your body will thank you later.
What Are the Holes in Gaming Chairs For?
Some gaming chairs come with holes in the backrest, which are there to improve ventilation and prevent sweat buildup. Additionally, some gaming chair covers offer sweat absorption properties to keep you from getting soaked when gaming in a hot and humid environment.
Conclusion
To summarize, the benefits of a comfortable gaming chair are twofold: a high K/D ratio and good health (we can’t guarantee the former!).
Even if you don’t plan on buying a new gaming chair, adopt easy habits like adjusting your seat height and utilizing your chair’s armrests to reduce the likelihood of back pain, muscle cramps, and neck strain.
While sitting for hours on end is just part of the gamer lifestyle—no arguments there—that shouldn’t mean you have to suffer doing something you love. So implement the steps we shared in this blog, ‘level up’ your comfort, and stay in the grind for longer!
- CONSOLE GAMING COMFORT provided by a plush removable headrest pillow and segmented padding that lead to the ultimate experience -- a fully functional gaming recliner that lets you level up while laying back.
- CONTROLS AND DRINKS AT THE READY with a removable side pouch that hangs off the left arm to keep game controllers close and a cupholder built into the left arm so you don't have to pause the gaming action to refuel.
- CONTINUOUS SURFACE WITH INDEPENDENT CONTROLS. The chair and footrest are a continuous surface, no open spaces to get wires caught, but operate independently to give you total control over your gaming chair experience. Features a 275 lb weight capacity.
