Some 70% of new home workers have discovered their sleeping patterns have been disrupted as self-isolation and work from home become routine across businesses. According to survey by furniture company Hammonds, one in four people working from home say their sleeping pattern has been ‘very disrupted’, experiencing restless sleep every night.
Others have reported experiencing between medium to low levels of disruptions to their sleeping patterns resulting in some levels of restless nights. Only a quarter of the 2,000 people surveyed say they continue to experience good sleep from working from home during the COVID-19 isolations.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to change the way we work, companies are making their employees work from home. They are ever more relying on communications and productivity tools to find ways to collaborate as the work forces remain dispersed in their homes.
The coronavirus has not only affected how businesses operate. However, it seems to be the ultimate stress test of productivity for employees at home as well. Hammond’s survey showcases the growing pains associated with working from home. In this particular case the impact on disruption in sleeping patterns.
Disrupted Sleep Patterns
According to the survey, the room in which people are now working is part of the reason affecting their sleeping patterns. A disproportionate number of people didn’t prepare for an event that would require them to work from home.
Eighty percent of the respondents say they do not have a home office where they can work from each day. And only a fraction (20%) admit to having a home office. Those in the age bracket between 45 to 55 years of age account for the highest demographic group with a designated home office.
Over a fifth of them (21%) work from their main bedroom, which is causing disruptions with their sleeping patterns. Of these, 84% say they find their sleeping patterns either ‘disrupted’ or ‘very disrupted’.
The survey also found almost one in ten (9%) are working from their bathrooms. This is possibly due to two people sharing a studio flat, or from Wi-Fi connectivity issues.
The survey says women are working mostly in the living room (24%) while men are using the home office (23%). Women seem to be the most affected by the new norm with over a third (36%) stating their sleeping pattern is ‘very disrupted’ compared to 21% of men. Furthermore, around one in ten men (11%) say they are sleeping better than usual. Only 4% of women say they are sleeping better.
Age wise the most affected by sleep pattern disruptions are 18 to 24-year olds. Eighty-four percent of them experience disruptions in their sleep as a consequence of working from home. Seventy-six percent of 25-34- year-olds are next, and 55 to 64-year-old relatively better off with just 60% experiencing sleeping problems.
Why are they not Getting Good Sleep?
Sleep is often overlooked, even though it is extremely important for our overall health and well-being. Sleep helps our body to repair and remain fit and ready for another day. Good sleep can prevent excess weight gain, heart disease and help with other illnesses. A good night’s sleep helps improve concentration, productivity and performance so you can be your best at work.
Average healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of a good night’s sleep to function at their best.
Working from Home as a response to COVID-19
Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic there were 7 million Americans working remotely. This accounted for roughly 3.4% of the population. Now, according to Waveform, more than half (57.7%) of the US workforce has started working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. The survey shows out of the approximately 150 million US workforce it estimates around 85 million of them are now working from home due to the pandemic.
Seen as a sign of adapting to challenging times companies are embracing the work from home options. Work from home despite the growing pains is preventing businesses from completely grinding to halt. Those that have previously integrated remote working into their processes have quickly adapted to the change. Meanwhile those new to the concept have yet to understand what this means to their employees, teams, and their businesses.
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This article, "70% of Those Working From Home Experience Disrupted Sleep Patterns" was first published on Small Business Trends
April 28, 2020 at 07:46AM
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Samson Haileyesus, Khareem Sudlow
