While working from your house will cut down on commuting, the number of meetings one needs to attend, and other office distractions, it comes with its share of problems. Key among the contentious issues associated with the practice is marinating a healthy sleeping pattern. People working from home will find themselves either oversleeping or having no sleep at all. Besides, when you sleep where you work, it is easy for loneliness to kick in and anxiety creeping into your life. This article will offer a practical solution to how you can work from home and have a regular sleeping pattern.
Keep off Screens before Your Bedtime
Scientists associate blue light from gadgets with insomnia. Hence, if you want to have a healthy sleeping pattern, you must learn to switch off your gadgets at least 30 minutes before going to bed. During this time, read a book or work on some home chores such as washing the dishes. Numerous studies on the effect of blue light indicate it prevents people from shutting their eyes at night, as it suppresses the production of melatonin, which is a sleeping hormone. As a result, watching a movie or jumping from your computer to the bed will significantly reduce the amount of sleep you get.
For this reason, people working from home are advised to have screen guards on their devices to secure their sleeping time. It is advised to take occasional breaks from your laptop, especially as the evening kicks in. Constant exposure to light makes your body think time to sleep is not near. Thus, it is advisable to work from home, but remember you will need to sleep. Dim the lights when you are about to sleep to make your body adjust and give it time to produce sleeping hormones.
Take Short Naps
Taking naps at work has been adopted as a healthy trend over the years. Although it is not easy to take naps while at home since you are likely to take a nap on your bed or couch, ensure it is short, usually 30 minutes to 1 hour. Napping is a healthy practice as it helps boost your energy levels and compensate for any lost energies. However, it would be best if you were strategic and disciplined when taking naps at home to avoid being carried away. Additionally, napping late into the day will affect your sleeping time at night. To make it useful, take your naps at the same time of the day always and set the alarm to keep away from getting into a full-blown sleep.
Buy an Office Desk and Chair
Investing in comfortable office furniture will help you work consistently from your house. Many people assume a sofa is comfortable until you are required to sit on it for hours working. Besides, a sofa is likely to attract unwanted sleep during the day and back pains due to poor sitting conditions. When you go to bed with back pains, you will spend more time on the bed, turning instead of sleeping.A Dedicated Work Space
Working for 8 hours from an office becomes possible because you have a fixed workspace. On buying your office furniture, place them in a room or corner of your sitting room where you have enough space and peace to work. However, avoid working from your bedroom, as the challenges of your work will invade your rest. Working from your bedroom is likely to raise stress levels and affect the quality of your work since you are not experiencing a change in the environment. Keep your bedroom as a haven of peace where you rest and not an extension of your working space.
Maintain a Regular Working Schedule
Working from home can attract a lot of laziness and procrastination, as one tends to think they have all
the time in the world to work. However, it is advisable to create a practical working schedule so your body can adapt. Going to work creates a fixed work schedule that the body quickly adapts. When your office is at home, create a practical plan that is both efficient and enjoyable. Create time to work, read, exercise, watch TV, and sleep. Try and wake up at the same time and get to bed at the same time to help your body adjust. Maintaining the schedule will go a long way into having enough sleep at night. Do not undermine the effect of small wins and consistency, as eventually, it becomes a huge success. Thus, create a schedule that creates to go for a walk as working from home minimizes your interaction with people.Create Time For Exercise/Meditation/Yoga
One cannot deny that these are challenging times for everyone. Anxiety and stress are likely to kick, turning nights into restless moments due to insomnia. Although keeping away from stress is easier said than done, creating time to engage in yoga, full-body exercise, or meditation will help you overcome the challenges. Here is how you can achieve that.
Commence the day with 30 minutes of meditation to set the pace for the day
From your busy schedule allocate 30 minutes during the lunch break for a yoga session, which you can get from YouTube.
Take time to either go for an evening swimming session or ride a bike.
Create time to write the activities of the day in your journal
Eat well and drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated as nutrition plays a significant role in your ability to deliver on your daily milestones and to sleep.
Switch into Do not Disturb Setting
As one of my colleagues and resume writers at online service, Laura Garbers says: “It is very easy to get distracted and fail to deliver on your daily quota. Watching a series or a Netflix movie is likely to rob you of some crucial working time.” Remember if you fail to deliver on your work, you are likely to have some rough time with your bosses which in effect will affect how you work. Thus, commit yourself to work without disturbances no matter how tempting it gets to ensure all your daily milestones are met and delivered. This, in effect, will help you get enough sleep knowing you have accomplished your daily targets.
Conclusion
Finally, as indicated above, it is evident that getting enough sleep at night is possible when working from home. Follow your rules and avoid wasting time on trivial activities to keep positive energies when working on your goals. Always remember that getting enough sleeping at night is an indicator you had a successful day. Thus, make a practice schedule and follow the above guide to ensure your night does not result in turning on your bed while the rest of the world sleeps. As such, you can contribute to the growth of your career while working from home without hurting your social life and sleeping patterns.
“Everybody agrees that if you are sleep deprived, you can’t learn, perform or think very well,” says Jerome Siegel, PhD, director of the Center for Sleep Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.
When the weekend arrives, hopefully you have balanced chores, laundry, and dishes along the way so you can take the time to relax. Working and staying at home is not the same as relaxing. Give yourself time to recharge for the next week.
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About the Author: Alex C. Porter is one of the most searched freelancers owing to his years of experience working from home. Providing online service such as resume writing is one of the best attributes associated with the guru. Besides, he offers career assistance services to his clients on demand.
