Introduction
A sufficient good quality sleep is important for leading a healthy life in the normal world. During pandemics, sleep becomes even more important for physical and mental well-being. Pandemics test the best of the health systems and economies across the world. Lots of people start losing jobs and some lucky ones can retain their jobs as they can work from home.
To stay safe, people have to follow guidelines issued from respective health authorities and governments where people are required to stay at home and work from home, some of us may be doing it for the first time. So, routine has to get in-sync with “new normal” as people are required to spend more time at home which can disrupt routines and affect your sleep as well. Insufficient good quality sleep is going to affect your quality of work and nobody would like to lose their job in any situation.
Here are some tips that should help you to maintain your sleep health while working from home during the pandemic.
1. Create Zones and Have a Perfect Sleep Environment
You should create zones for work, dining, entertainment, and sleep. Your bedroom should be used only for sleep and getting intimate with your partner, work should stay out of your bedroom. You should ensure that all blue light-emitting electronic gadgets stay out of your bedroom as well so that your bedroom doesn’t become your entertainment zone. Having a separate zone for eating should help in avoiding binge eating and regular munching on snacks.
You should ensure that your bedroom is a perfect environment for sleep by keeping it cool, blocking out external lights, and outside noise so that your sleep doesn’t get disturbed.
Above all, your bedroom should boast of a perfect bed with a good mattress that provides good support to your body so that no pressure points get created. A good mattress should also be able to regulate air so that you stay cool and do not sweat when you are asleep.
Check out this guide from SleepStandards to choose a right mattress for you.
2. Follow a Schedule
You should follow a schedule for work, dining, physical activity, entertainment, and sleep. Following a schedule should put your mind and body at ease by reducing your stress level and getting rid of anxiety.
You should follow a good bedtime routine like brushing teeth, washing face, applying lotion.
You should avoid daytime naps which can be bad for getting a good quality sleep at night.
3. Manage Exposure to Lights
When you work from home for several days it becomes important that you get enough natural light and don’t just stay exposed to artificial lights only. When you expose yourself to natural light, it helps your brain to regulate your circadian rhythm and you can get enough of good quality sleep. You should ensure that you allow natural light to come inside your home by keeping windows open, closing the curtains and blinds during the day.
You should use orange-tinted glasses when you are working on your laptop or computer for longer periods. Also, you should ensure that you stop using electronic gadgets that emit blue light at least an hour before your bedtime. It is extremely important as artificial lights also do affect your circadian rhythm.
4. Meditate and Exercise
You should ensure you meditate and exercise regularly to keep your mind and body calm, alert, and sharp. Regular meditation and exercising are going to help you to reduce the stress level and eliminate anxiety which is helpful for your sleep health.
You should ensure that you do heavy exercises only in the morning and avoid doing heavy exercises late in the afternoon or evening. Light stretching or light exercises in the afternoon or evening is good for your sleep health.
5. Watch What You Eat and Drink
Pandemics may force lockdowns and affect the availability of your preferred food items, so you may have to adjust to what you can buy, cook, and eat. To maintain good mental and physical health, you should follow a healthy diet that will help you to get a sufficient good quality sleep.
You should avoid consuming caffeine-laden foods and drinks late in the evening, and avoid consuming alcoholic drinks at all, they can impact the quality of sleep.
You should not fall prey to binge eating and munching on snacks. You should continue to follow your meal schedule and consume food as per your usual intake quantity.
Conclusion
When the world is under the onslaught of pandemic and you have to work from home for several days at a stretch, it is bound to take a toll on your sleep health and that is going to impact your mental and physical health. These tips should help you to maintain your sleep health while working from home during the pandemic.