How to reclaim your bedroom as a haven of calm if you’re working from home
Up until the end of last year, only 5% of workers in the UK worked mainly from home, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But this figure is likely to be much higher now, as those who can work from home do so, in line with Government guidelines on social distancing.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself working from home, when you’re used to going into the office, you may have noticed a change in your normal sleep habits. This is a common side effect of disruption to your daily routine, sleep experts at The Sleep Council have warned. According to the sleep charity's figures, over a quarter of Brits regularly experience poor sleep, but more of us may be affected at the moment, whether that's due to stress, changes to our daily lives or having less opportunity to exercise.
The good news, though, is that by making a few changes to your sleeping environment, you can improve your quality of sleep. If you’re craving uninterrupted shut-eye, try these four sleep hacks.
1. Declutter your bedroom
Keeping your bedroom tidy and free from clutter helps create a calm, relaxing environment. Start with the bedside table and banish all but the book or magazine you’re currently reading to a bookshelf or drawer. If your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, launder and pack away winter clothes now we’re moving into spring so there's enough space to put clothes away neatly at the end of each day. Use vacuum storage bags to make the most of the storage space under the bed.
Avoid storing your work laptop and any other IT paraphernalia in your bedroom to help you switch off at the end of the day. Keeping ‘work’ and ‘living’ spaces in your home as separate as possible will help you to define working and non-working times, and makes it more likely you’ll sleep better at night.
2. Get the temperature right
If your bedroom is too hot or too cold, you are more likely to experience poor sleep. Sleep experts say adults should be aiming for a bedroom temperature of between 16-18°C – if in doubt, invest in a room thermometer. You can pick one up for well under £10 on Amazon.
3. Let in some air
Research has shown that better air quality in the bedroom is linked to better quality sleep. This, in turn, makes you feel less tired and more able to concentrate the next day. Get into the habit of airing your bedroom each day by opening the windows to let fresh air in, providing it’s safe to do so.
If you suffer from hayfever, avoid opening windows in the early to mid-morning or in the evening now that we’re in the prime hayfever season of late March to September. It’s at these times of day that the air coming in through your window is most likely to be laden with pollen, and no-one wants to be sneezing when they should be snoozing.
4. Make your bed more comfortable
Making sure your bed is as comfortable as it can be will also help you journey to the land of nod – and stay there. Change and wash your bed linen, including pillow protectors, at least once a fortnight, which will also help to keep dust mites at bay.
The experts at the GHI recommend washing pillows twice a year and duvets once a year. If yours are overdue an appointment with the washing machine, now’s the time to take action. Make sure you arm yourself with the right know-how first.
GHI TIP: If you want to treat yourself to the feeling of freshly ironed bed linen without a hefty investment of time, turn the steam setting on your iron up to the highest setting, fold the duvet cover in half lengthways, and just iron one side.
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