7 Sleep Hacks to Boost Your WFH Productivity
Sleep deprivation can cause you to lose up to 11 days of productivity per year. All of us are likely to have experienced increased stress and decreased quality of communication due to remote working, and a lack of sleep serves to greatly exacerbate this.
Ultimately, these stumbling blocks combine to promote greater inefficiency and job dissatisfaction — all because of a bad night’s sleep.
So, here are seven sleep hacks to make your work from home more productive.
Anxious About Work? Try Breath Focus Meditation
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The absence of face-to-face communication can often lead to increased stress and anxiety while working from home. If you have a big meeting the next day and can’t seem to kick your nerves, try breath focus meditation to help you relax before bed! A simple meditation guide-through can be found here.
Working From Bed? Improve Your Sleep Hygiene.
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Sleep hygiene is all about fostering good habits that promote restful sleep. Working from home has resulted in our beds becoming our workspaces, blurring the lines between work and relaxation. Blackout curtains, good-quality bedding and comfortable pillows can efficiently transform your bedroom into an optimal environment for sleep. Nailing down a consistent sleep schedule and eliminating any daytime habits that make it difficult to sleep can further help you perfect your sleep hygiene to a T.
Back And Shoulder Aches? Try A New Mattress
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The absence of clearly defined lunch breaks and trips to your colleague’s desks can lead to individuals spending increased amounts of time at their desks when working remotely. The result? A slew of back, neck and shoulder issues that are not only uncomfortable but also serve to distract you from your work. The right mattress acts as physiotherapy while you sleep, allowing you to recover from a gruelling day at your desk.
Unable To Wind Down? Avoid Intense TV Shows Right Before Bedtime
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After a tiring day of work, we all love curling up in bed with our favourite TV show. However, intense TV shows and movies can speed up your heart rate and make it harder for you to fall asleep. Stick to something more light-hearted before bed and save the crime documentaries for earlier in the evening.
Burning The Midnight Oil? Try Catching An Early Night
Work from home has definitely led to extended working hours for many. This not only results in a reduced amount of sleep but also hampers sleep quality as individuals tend to directly go from typing away on their laptops to jumping into bed. By trying your best to switch off earlier in the evening and implementing a wind-down routine, you can equip yourself with the sleep you need to function more quickly and efficiently the next day.
Feeling Sleepy During The Day? Try Maximising Sunlight Exposure
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Increasing the sunlight in your workspace can help combat the common phenomenon of daytime sleepiness. Working next to a window or in an area of your house that receives ample sunlight can boost your productivity and maximise Vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is also associated with better sleep quantity and quality, therefore allowing you to kill two birds with one stone.
Working In Your PJs? Try Getting Dressed In The Morning
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Our minds form patterns in our daily activities, such as the association between sleep and pyjamas. As a result, working in the same clothes we sleep in can hamper productivity, and make us feel sleepy and lackadaisical during the day. By waking up and getting dressed, we are signalling to our brain that it’s time to get productive and work, which in turn leads to increased alertness and concentration.
Success at work does not simply involve working hard and possessing the right skills, but also ensuring that our mind and body are well rested and equipped to help us power through the day. Working from home can be challenging, and a few small changes in your sleep habits can help you overcome these hurdles and maximise productivity. Give these sleep hacks a shot, and wake up reinvigorated, re-energised and ready to tackle the day.
Sources:
https://www.unitypoint.org/madison/article.aspx?id=81b64217-47c4-485a-9d0b-e2d7d0d468c4
https://www.mormindful.com/post/what-is-sleep-hygiene
https://www.brisbanebulkbillingdoctor.com.au/news/sleep-hygiene-18-simple-ways-to-get-more-sleep/ https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-sleep-hygiene-5085887 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/your-complete-guide-to-sleep/
Originally published at https://www.beyondsciencetv.com on August 18, 2022.
