Eyes, wrists and long screen sessions: the physical side of scalping
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2026 1:06 pm
Nobody posts about it until something hurts. Scalping means hours of staring at small candles, fast mouse movements and a lot of sitting still, then sudden bursts of tension.
Some habits that make a real difference for people who trade the London session daily:
Eyes
- Monitor at arm's length, top edge at or slightly below eye level.
- Larger font on order ticket and price ladder. Squinting at a 9pt price is how fat-fingered entries happen.
- The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Between trades is a natural time.
Wrists and hands
- Hotkeys over mouse clicking where your platform allows it.
- A vertical mouse or trackball if you get forearm ache.
- Keyboard close enough that elbows rest at 90 degrees.
Sitting
- Stand up after every closed trade, even for 30 seconds.
- Hard rule: no trading through a full session without a break. The 09:30–10:00 UK lull is a good one.
Fatigue shows up in your trade log before you notice it in your body. Average hold time gets longer, and so does the delay between signal and entry.
What setup changes helped you most?
Some habits that make a real difference for people who trade the London session daily:
Eyes
- Monitor at arm's length, top edge at or slightly below eye level.
- Larger font on order ticket and price ladder. Squinting at a 9pt price is how fat-fingered entries happen.
- The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Between trades is a natural time.
Wrists and hands
- Hotkeys over mouse clicking where your platform allows it.
- A vertical mouse or trackball if you get forearm ache.
- Keyboard close enough that elbows rest at 90 degrees.
Sitting
- Stand up after every closed trade, even for 30 seconds.
- Hard rule: no trading through a full session without a break. The 09:30–10:00 UK lull is a good one.
Fatigue shows up in your trade log before you notice it in your body. Average hold time gets longer, and so does the delay between signal and entry.
What setup changes helped you most?