The appeal of being in bed and still able to work remotely is strong. However, turning the mattress into your office can cause a host of health, psychological and physical problems.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a phrase that is mentioned a lot that is “working from home” (WFH) . This phrase has been modified by many people to “working from bed” (WFB). There, getting dressed and going to the office is replaced by washing your face, turning on your computer and then lying still under the blanket and working.
According to a November 2020 study in the US, 72% of 1,000 respondents said they worked remotely while still in bed during the pandemic – a 50% increase compared to when Covid- 19 has just appeared. Of these, about 1 in 10 said they spend “most or all of the work week” – about 24-40 hours or more in bed working.
This is especially true of young workers. In the UK, workers between the ages of 18 and 34 are less than twice as likely to use desks and chairs to work from home and stay in bed to work more than twice as often as middle-aged or elderly people.
During the Covid-19 epidemic, many people spend a lot of time working in bed.
Lying in bed and working doesn’t just come from a lack of proper furniture. Many people simply enjoy the comfort and ease of being in bed. On Instagram, the hashtag #WorkFromBed attracts thousands of photos. Most of them are pictures of someone smiling, wearing pajamas, next to a cup of coffee, eating breakfast on a tray and of course still in bed.
However, in reality, turning a bed into an office is easy to cause a series of health, psychological and physical problems . If you don’t realize these effects now, their side effects may appear later.
For some, working from home or working in bed may be their only option during the pandemic. For others, it’s the easiest route because they can find a desk or at least use a folding desk to place their computer. They simply like convenience and leisure.
But experts all say that working in bed is not good for the body. When in bed, the neck, back, and hips are all stretched when on a soft surface, making you more likely to want to lie down. “When you’re in bed, you’re not going to be most productive,” says Susan Hallbeck, director of engineering for the Mayo Clinic health care system, one of the largest medical research institutes in the US.
She also pointed out that young people are more likely to fall victim to this bad habit because they cannot feel its harmful effects immediately. However, the longer you stay in bed to work, the more obvious the harm will be. Illnesses arising from this process can range from simple headaches to arthritis, bone pain, ligament pain, muscle pain in the neck. Hallbeck also suggests that you should immediately stop working in bed.
If you must work in bed, try not to lie down and make your body feel like sitting in an upright chair. Roll up a pillow and place it under your back, sit up straight, and place the screen at eye level or higher. Whatever you do, avoid lying on your stomach while typing as it will really strain the muscles in your neck and elbows. If you decide to work from home for a long time, buy yourself a set of desks and chairs that are good enough and suitable for you.
When working in bed for a year, not only your body has problems, but your sleeping habits are also affected. Rachel Salas, associate professor of neurology and sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins University , says: ‘As a sleep expert, I recommend that the bed should only be a place for 3 things: sleeping, having sex and having sex. lie down when you’re sick’.
Working in bed is not good for the body.
Also according to Salas, when watching TV in bed, playing games in bed… your brain starts thinking, “oh okay, we can do any of these activities in bed”. The brain will begin to build connections and eventually develop conditioned behaviors.
When you use your laptop, phone, or whatever glowing screen your job requires in bed every day, your brain and body stop associating sleep with rest. That’s why the Covid-19 pandemic leads to insomnia. Salas believes that because of Covid-19, there is a sudden increase in insomnia and sleep disorders globally.
When you’re working in bed, you’re actually training your brain to stay awake and tell it this is the perfect place to work. So, when it really wants to go to sleep, the brain will think it has to wait a bit, this is business time. And you will wake up more which leads to insomnia.
Working in bed for a year or any length of time can lead to insomnia or circadian rhythm disturbances.