“Even the self-assured will raise their perceived self-efficacy if models teach them better way of doing things” - Albert Bandura

Since the advent of COVID-19, people have started to access the world just from the comfort of their homes. We can shop, order food and even work from home without having to step out of the house or go through the heavy traffic during the day. While working from home has its many benefits, it also disrupts the regular schedule of working during the day and sleeping at night. This is due to a few habits that we’ve picked up over the years of working from home i.e., eating and working in bed, taking naps and staying late at night. These can be extremely unhealthy on the long run and can ruin your overall sleep-wake cycle. 

When people started to work from home, they reported feeling, ‘less motivated, less organised and most importantly, difficulty sleeping at night. This was a common concern among my clients during COVID-19. While your body and mind does the same thing which you might do in an office, it is actually not the same experience your mind recreates. Why is that? There is something called stimulus conditioning or associative learning we develop based on cues in the environment. These cues forms strong associations to certain likings and dislikings. These in-turn can affect the way you see, feel and perceive certain situations. 

A simple explanation would be, imagine you have a big day at office tomorrow. What would you do? You would prepare your clothes, plan your day, set your alarm and may be share with your family so they can also be prepared to help you get ready for your big day. This creates a story in your head i.e., a process that indicates a big day and you are mentally prepared for it. Right? Imagine, the same thing is going to happen but not in office but at home in your desk. The steps I mentioned earlier would be not there, you might not even take it seriously. The point is, the effort comes from a process and the process leads to associations and eventually improves performance and overall well-being. For many years, these connections are already made, it might be hard for your brain to understand work with your bed or your desk. 

But why does your sleep become a hassle as a consequence of working from home? Your routine used to indicate the night and day cycle, it used to help you to orient yourself to home when you get back from work and sliding into a night routine indicating that it’s time to sleep. Now, your brain doesn’t seem to understand your new routine. (Just confused!) Let’s help the poor thing, shall we? 

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP WHEN WORKING FROM HOME?

Routine! Routine! Routine! 

You wouldn’t believe how much your body would appreciate stepping out even for a short amount of time. We are not meant stay indoor all-day and all-week, so you could plan something in the evenings with friends after work or go for a walk or schedule a play with a friend. This would cue your mind to understand day and night. It would also, help your brain differentiate between work and leisure. Also! Sunlight, you know it, how much it’s important, right?

I know, you would have read in many self-help books or heard people speaking about ‘making your bed’. That’s the first task of the day, first chain of activation in your brain to cue for prepping to work. Do you bed and leave it alone for the whole day. Nap is fine but most often we end up sleeping more when at home. So, I would suggest sleeping either in a sofa or closing your eyes on a reclining chair or putting your head down on a desk. Do not sleep like you would sleep at night. 

We have a routine now but what about post-work pleasures. Don’t we deserve a relaxing activities after a long day at work. Unwind! Relax! Rejuvenate! You can aromas, relaxing bath, netflix shows and a time to do your hobbies like reading or blogging. Anything that makes you happy! Check out this article for a wholesome sleeping experience. 

Hope this article was helpful. 

Happy Working! Happy Sleeping!

Please Book a Session with sleep coach to know more about your sleep.

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