Why working from home keeps you awake

Bad office ergonomics, blue light exposure, working in bed and other reasons why WFH have trouble falling and staying asleep.

1 Big Thing: People who work from home, on average, sleep worse than those who don’t.

Why it matters

When you don’t sleep or sleep well, your body is deprived or gets less of the benefits of good sleep, which include:

• Reduced inflammation

• Improved immunity

• Improved learning skills

• Improved mood

• Improved longevity and feelings of well-being

The Back Story

People who work from home often fend for themselves when it comes to office ergonomics. Some haven’t a clue about proper ergonomics for a workstation (HR usually handles that one in a traditional office). Consequently, many suffer from poor posture causing spinal issues that can impact sleep.

Additionally, people who work from home often are exposed to more blue light, which impacts your body’s production of melatonin—particularly night owls who like to work in bed.

What you can do

This article on Allwork.space offers common sense suggestions to improving sleep for the WFH professional, such as:

• A regular exercise routine

• No electronics one hour prior to bedtime

• Sleep in a darkened room, with your mobile device off

• Use your bedroom for sleep only, no work

• Cool temps in your bedroom between 60°F and 67°F

• Avoid caffeine a minimum of six hours before bedtime

Go deeper

https://allwork.space/2022/02/the-effects-of-remote-work-on-sleep/

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WTF does F*ckery mean?

My Home Office Hacks recently held a virtual lunch with Judi Harrington, author of the book Fuckery. If you’re curious what that word actually means, here’s Judi’s version:

For the rest of the interview, stay tuned for next week’s My Home Office Hacks.

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Your next upgrade: 24” monitor

Sick of only working from your smallish laptop screen (like me). For less than $100, you can see how the other half lives/works with Sceptre 24-inch Professional Thin 1080p LED Monitor 99% sRGB 2x HDMI VGA Build-in Speakers, Machine Black (E248W-19203R Series)

3 WFH stories