Maintaining Mental Health While Working from Home and Importance of Sleep

Currently, 33 percent of US workers are working remotely, and this trend is expected to continue even post-COVID. Big companies have found significant cost savings when workers are remote. When employees come into big offices, companies need to provide space, equipment, and incur higher real estate costs. They've also seen that, in many cases, productivity is actually higher. This trend is going to continue.

We all know the advantages of working from home. It saves a lot of time. For example, typically, that means your first thing in the morning is an hour, an hour and a half, running through the kitchen, cooking, getting coffee, putting on makeup, driving, cleaning the car if you have snow, and then driving again. That can be a good 45 minutes to an hour in the evening. Most individuals will save at least an hour in commute, some up to two hours, not only commuting but also getting ready for work. In places like California, it can save about three to four hours a day.

Additionally, there’s the flexible schedule. If you’re an early riser, you can get up at four in the morning, do your work, and go to bed early. If you’re a night owl like me, you can sleep in and work late. This flexibility allows people to adapt their work schedules to their needs.

There are also financial savings. I haven’t bought work clothes in over a year because I don’t need them. I can work in my pajamas or lounge pants, saving money on work clothes, jewelry, shoes, and other expenses. Working from home is also easier for mothers caring for children, as they can ensure their children are home by 3:30 and manage household responsibilities better.

However, there are significant disadvantages too. There is no clear delineation between work time and home time. The brain is constantly either in work mode or home mode, making it hard to shut off work and focus on home activities, or vice versa. We’ve found that our staff actually work more hours from home than in the office. In a typical office, there are social interactions, coffee breaks, and lunch breaks that reduce productive hours. Working from home, people churn out more work because they don’t have these interruptions. This leads to no set work schedule and constant expectations from employers to produce more.

This has disrupted daily routines. When we worked in offices, we had a routine that included personal time for spiritual activities or exercise. Now, those routines are completely disrupted. Social isolation is another issue. In the office, we engage with friends and co-workers, which adds value to our lives and helps us deal with stress and anxiety. That support is now gone.

In this short time, I will focus on a few things. Specifically, I want to talk about sleep and physical activity because sleep is a core component of mental health functioning. Of all the things we do, sleep is the most crucial pillar when it comes to the importance of mental health.

One disruption is the sleep-wake cycle. For example, I am a night owl, but when I had an 8:00 to 4:30 job, I went to bed at 9:00, got up at 5:30, did yoga, exercised, and was out of the house by 8:00. Now, I work late at night, making it harder to get up in the morning.

Lack of exercise is another issue. People have become more sedentary because of constant computer use. We are doing fewer steps than when we worked in physical offices, where we walked long corridors and took breaks.

Eating habits have also changed. While working in an office, we had structured meal times. Now, with the fridge nearby, it’s easy to snack throughout the day.

There is also a lack of discipline and protected time for self-care. When I drove to work, I had protected time for listening to podcasts, music, or news. That personal space is now gone. People feel trapped in their own homes, needing a vacation or a break.

Now, let’s focus more on sleep. There is a misconception that successful people sleep less and work more. In many cultures, sleeping late or less is equated with laziness. However, studies show that seven to eight hours of good quality sleep is necessary for optimal functioning. Sleep is when our hormonal production, memory consolidation, and reset processes occur. Without sleep, you cannot make memories, and your body cannot reset.

Lack of sleep leads to weight gain, especially in the lower abdomen, hypertension, heart disease, depression, irritability, mood changes, decreased immune function, and a shorter lifespan. Performance also suffers. Staff report decreased performance, inability to complete tasks, and increased anxiety due to unfinished work.

To improve sleep, it’s important to:

1.Develop a consistent sleep routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

2.Turn off all electronics before bed, including those that emit blue light, which can disrupt the circadian rhythm.

3.Keep the room dark and at a cooler temperature (66-67 degrees Fahrenheit) to help initiate sleep.

4.Avoid intensive exercise and eating two hours before bedtime.

5.Practice slow, deep breathing, restorative yoga, or relaxing meditation to lower the heart rate.

The American Association for Sleep Medicine in 2015 noted that less sleep is associated with adverse health outcomes. Weight gain, hypertension, heart disease, depression, mood changes, immune function decline, and increased mortality are all linked to insufficient sleep. High-functioning CEOs who boasted about needing only four to five hours of sleep often died prematurely, possibly due to their poor sleep habits.

Sleep is the reset button for the brain. It’s when hormonal production happens, memories are consolidated, and our bodies restore themselves. We can go without food for days, but without sleep, we will not survive.

Besides sleep, social isolation is a major issue. At work, we interact with friends and colleagues, who provide support and help us manage stress and anxiety. Working from home, we lose this support system. We also miss out on the spontaneous conversations and laughter that enrich our daily lives.

Furthermore, working from home disrupts physical activity. In the office, we naturally walk more. At home, we are more sedentary, which affects our health. Our eating habits have changed, with easy access to snacks and irregular meal times.

Lastly, the sense of being trapped at home is significant. Spending every day in the same space can be suffocating. People crave a change of scenery, which affects their mental health.

In summary, while remote work offers flexibility, time savings, and cost reductions, it also brings challenges like disrupted routines, social isolation, and mental health issues. Focusing on maintaining a good sleep routine, staying physically active, and finding ways to manage social isolation can help mitigate these challenges.

Mental health has gained paramount importance and diligent steps are necessary for preservation, check the video for more details https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twQ93CxLjgY&t=152s