Sleep and remote work: how can we improve our sleep when we are not only resting at home, but also working at home?

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupted office work as many workers switched to remote working. Although Americans were spending 60% of their working time at home by Spring 2020, the reality of working from home varies significantly between individuals. This makes it difficult to assess the impact of remote working on health criteria.

For example, working from home looks very different for workers that have different levels of control over facets of their work, different home environments to work in, different non-work duties that may interfere with work in the home, and varying abilities to adapt to changes in working arrangements.

It is also important to note that during the pandemic, it has been difficult to evaluate the impact of remote working on sleep in isolation as it has been accompanied by the anxieties and pressures associated with an unprecedented global public health crisis, as well as the economic fallout. Those working from home may achieve better sleep if they were not also dealing with isolation, grief, uncertainty or additional childcare responsibilities, which can adversely affect sleep.

However, the shift to remote working looks set to continue beyond the easing of restrictions. Therefore, it’s important to study this phenomenon in order to understand how any resulting sleep problems could be managed or avoided. This article will consider what the fresh scientific evidence tells us about the way in which working from home affects our sleep.

The benefits of working from home on our sleep

In light of suggestions that the COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an uptick in sleep disorders, researchers based in Korea investigated whether the new stay-at-home conditions are actually associated with changes in sleep duration and sleep habits.

In a 2020 survey of 14,000 healthy volunteers living under stay-at-home orders, researchers found that the duration and timing of sleep differed significantly from ‘normal’ conditions, but that the development of sleep problems, such as anxiety-induced insomnia, was extremely rare in otherwise healthy people.

Most people slept longer across all ages and sexes. This longer sleep duration also became more consistent throughout the week and into the weekend. Most people stopped using alarm clocks, even though this was against the official guidance from the National Sleep Foundation and Evelina London.

The researchers viewed these changes as positive because more people were able to get the recommended amount of sleep without as many work or social commitments in the evening and without the need to wake up early for school registration or a day at the office.

The study also revealed that teenagers, particularly teenage girls, napped less during the day, while older adults, particularly older men, napped more during the day. It appears that the teens napped less because they were sleeping longer during the night, while the adults took advantage of the greater flexibility by napping more, without compromising their nighttime sleep.

The findings of this 2020 study were consistent with those reported by another group of researchers, who found that some people previously diagnosed with insomnia had more opportunities to sleep during lockdowns and reaped improvements in their sleep as a result.

However, it is important to note that there are a number of limitations to the 2020 study…

• The data on sleep was self-reported, which means that the results may not be precise
• The study only included healthy individuals aged 15–60, so the results cannot be applied to the general population
• The study only included people engaged in non-timetabled activities, so the results do not account for those involved in timetabled education or working from home (which probably represents the vast majority of people)

How can working from home negatively impact our sleep?

Switching to remote working, particularly in the sudden circumstances required by recent government restrictions, often leads to changes in the timing of work. This flexibility is often touted as a key advantage to working from home. However, a recent study revealed that workers who experienced changes in working time arrangements showed a higher risk of sleep disturbances, including difficulty falling asleep, night wakings and feelings of exhaustion and fatigue in the mornings.

The study distinguished between employee-led flexibility and employer-led flexibility in remote working contexts. The latter has been by far the most prevalent model adopted by companies globally but has received little scientific attention. In an attempt to fill this gap in the literature, researchers focused on workers who experienced changes in working time arrangements — work schedule or volume of working time — that were unilaterally imposed by the employer.

Regardless of the sex, age, monthly earnings, type of employment, pattern of work, working hours and occupation of the workers, changes in working time arrangements were associated with all 3 types of the sleep disturbances mentioned above. It’s unclear exactly how changes in working time arrangements caused increased sleep disturbances, but researchers suggested that the link may be down to disruptions to sleep schedules, negative impacts on diet and physical activity levels, increased stress, more work-family conflict and social desynchronisation, all of which have been shown to negatively impact sleep.

Restrictions and lockdowns have forced us to spend more time with members of our household while everyone adjusts to new working or learning arrangements. This intensity can put a strain on our domestic relationships, leading to stress and conflict that can act as obstacles to good sleep. Working from home can mean that we miss out on in-person social interactions with fellow commuters, staff at our local coffee shop or colleagues in the workplace. This isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression, which are associated with sleep problems.

Working from home can also increase our reliance on technology, which often involves excessive amounts of screen time. This can make it harder for us to wind down in the evenings and the blue light emitted by screens can suppress the sleep hormone, melatonin. Make-shift home workstations can blur the lines between spaces associated with work and spaces associated with relaxation, hindering our ability to mentally prepare for sleep.

The risk of sleep disturbances in women was not always directly correlated with increased working hours. There are potential biological explanations for this as women’s sleep is affected by reproductive hormones and greater instances of poor mental health. However, women’s tendency to take on a larger share of housework and childcare could also explain these results. Researchers noted that total working time (including unpaid labour) was higher for women. So when female workers experienced shorter working hours, they tended to increase their performance of domestic tasks, which could have contributed to poor sleep and emotional health.

Practical tips for improving sleep while working from home

Many of us have experienced sleep problems while living under government-enforced restrictions, but now more than ever we need sufficient amounts of good quality sleep as we face additional challenges to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Experts have made the following recommendations to help you maximise the chances of getting a good night’s sleep while working from home…

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
• Reserve about 60 minutes of time before bed purely for relaxation
• Keep up the daily exercise and spend time outside in natural light as much as possible
• Avoid working in your bed or bringing any tech devices into your bed as this will compromise the association between bed and sleep in your mind
• If you feel the need to nap during the day, then try to be intentional and consistent about it and ensure that naps don’t extend beyond 20 minutes
• Keep in touch with loved ones (without breaching social distancing rules) for social interaction and emotional support
• Set boundaries with members of your household and co-workers
• Experiment with relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, stretches, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, listening to music, reading and self-care rituals
• Explore the apps designed to assist with relaxation, such as Calm, Headspace and Loona

Do not hesitate to ask for professional help if you need it. Contact a healthcare professional if you’re struggling with your sleep or mental health. Many GPs are consulting patients on the phone or online so that you can access their support from the comfort of your home.