Is It Okay To Work In Bed?

Is It Okay To Work In Bed?

It’s become more and more of a habit, even a trend. Through extended COVID-19 lockdown periods, regular office workers have become duvet junkies and find themselves working in bed. This may seem harmless enough. What could possibly be wrong with working from the comfort of your own bed? Well, unless your job is to sleep, working in bed really isn’t the best idea. Let’s explore why.

Beds Are for Sleeping

Checking your emails first thing when you wake up in bed may feel efficient. You’ll impress the boss with an early start. But you’ve already broken the cardinal rule after a night of healthy sleep. Get up and go! Healthy sleep is a necessary means to an end. It is also a precious life asset you have to ensure you get the very best enjoyment and productivity out of every day. At Dial•a•Bed we call it #SleepForLife. By working in bed while you work from home, you confuse the purpose of your bedroom. Remember, sleep is a habit. In order to ease the healthy habit of nighttime sleep in bed, we should limit time spent in bed to either intimacy or sleeping. Your bed should be a healthy refuge away from work, especially if you’ve been staring at a laptop screen all day.

Protect Your Work/life Balance

Working from home is one thing. Allowing work to take over your home can be physically and mentally detrimental. Your bed is the most important retreat you have from the day, where you can rest and recuperate so that you can be your most productive. Your natural body clock has a regular sleep-wake routine and this can become dysfunctional if you don’t give it the correct input. Daytime is for working and being active. Night time is for resting and sleeping. Hanging out in your pyjamas all day can mean that, subconsciously, you’re not really in work mode. Even if space at home is contained, set up a workstation that is away from the bedroom. If it has to be in your bedroom, at very least don’t let it be your bed.

Look After Yourself

A change of routine, like working remotely, already comes with its challenges. As much as you might indulge in being at home and the idea of working in bed, the interaction and stimulation of a shared working environment is important for your mental health. Even the introvert who is only too happy to cocoon at home needs intermittent, real-time connections. And not just in bed. There can, with some bed workers, be a tendency to relax all their important routines, including bed hygiene. Bedlinen becomes fusty. The mattress will likely need more turning and airing. If you’re having refreshments and meals while you are working in bed, you’re bound to have the odd mishap. By the time you’re ready to sleep in the evening, your bed is no longer the inviting sanctuary it’s meant to be.

What if You Have to Work From Bed?

If you share a home with family or housemates, your bedroom may be the quietest, uninterrupted space you have. And if you don’t have room for a workstation, then the bed it will have to be. If you’re using a laptop, sit upright, preferably with your computer set up on a raised table, like a breakfast tray. Stacked pillows or cushions will do. Lying on your front for extended periods is not ideal for your spine's curvature. Working in bed may also strain the position of your neck. Sitting upright is the way to go.

Is Working in Bed Really All That Bad?

It is not uncommon for people to feel more creative when they are fully relaxed in bed. But this usually happens when one lets go of the day and drifts off to sleep – not while actually working in bed! We assume this is because your thought processes might be different when you allow your brain the freedom to roam. Some may even find that they’re more productive in a non-pressurized, carefree environment. As a habit, a bedridden workday is likely not a sustainably productive way to work. You risk extended periods with poor posture. Remaining in one position for a long time is not ideal for respiration and blood flow. Of course, there are worse things you can do than working in bed. But if you really want to get the very best out of your day, get up!

Get You Best Sleep Ever

If you bought your bed from Dial•a•Bed, there’s a greater chance you’ll want to spend more time under the duvet. When you find the perfect comfort and support you’ve always wanted, it is all the more tempting to spend just a little more time in bed. We get you. But our great sleep mission is to afford you the most productive working day, every day. #SleepForLife. Find your ideal bed at www.dialabed.co.za. And, if you must, enjoy working on it. Just not too often.