The Drawbacks of Working From Your Bed

Many people have traded their corner office for their kitchen table or small desk in their home’s spare bedroom. It’s tempting to turn off the alarm, grab a cup of coffee and then crawl back into bed to read daily emails and start the workday from the comfort of a soft, cozy pillowtop mattress. There is even a #workfrombed hashtag on Instagram that features happy people all snuggled up like a bug in a rug, working from their bed. It sounds like a great work life but the reality is, there are several drawbacks to working from your bed. 

Productivity

Bedrooms are often dimly lit and confuse your body clock with day and night. A study conducted by The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard found that “Keeping your computers, TVs and work material out of the room will strengthen the mental association between your bedroom and sleep. “Staying in your pajamas and working from your bed can make it difficult to mentally separate work from daily home life. Several studies show using the bed for daily routine activities blurs the association between restfulness and sleep.

Posture

Hunched over a computer screen or laying across the bed puts a strain on your neck and back. Younger people may not feel the effects as quickly or as much as someone a little older, but it will be a problem for the body down the road a few years. If you must work in your bedroom, sit in a chair with an upright back so your body is in a neutral position that does not strain any part of the body. Roll up a towel to put under the lower part of your back for more support. Put your keyboard at eye level to avoid unnecessary stress on your neck.  

Health and Hygiene

According to a Cleveland Clinic dermatologist, we all shed enough dead skin cells per day to feed one million dust mites. If you add the time you spend in bed during your workday, you are adding more buildup through food (snacking), dust, general bacteria, pet dander because you know your dog wants to get up there with you all day! According to one study in The Royal Society, chimpanzee beds, built by interweaving branches, have been suggested to provide protection from the wind and inclement weather, plus offer refuge from predators. Chimpanzees spend over half of their lives in their beds and, still, human beds are less sanitary! Wait, did I read this right? Probably something we all should consider, as well as washing our sheets regularly. 

You may also like Your Dream Job Has Become a Nightmare. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips, read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on Huff Post, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Buy her new book, Modern Etiquette for a Better Life.