Ask HN: How has long-term work from home changed your sleep habits?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29643239

by softwaredoug • 5 years ago

30 21 5 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I am a techie dad, in his 40s, with 2 school aged kids. My partner and I both work from home.

I'm noticing some changes to my sleep from pre-pandemic. Particularly, the often overwhelming desire to take a post-lunch siesta/short power nap (as my work schedule allows).

I'm curious if this is some kind of natural thing that happens? And if others experience the increased desire to nap while WFH? Or if there's other sleep changes you've noticed in a WFH routine?

AltF4me• 5 years ago

I don't nap, but I do sleep in longer. I don't need to rush out the door to catch a train, but sometimes it means starting work before showering.. And taking a shower on my lunch.

BigRedDog1669• 5 years ago

I have been having this problem. As a lot of things have been changing it's hard to tell what is causing it. Sometimes I feel worse after taking the naps, sometimes better.

Things that I think might have an effect on daytime tiredness: sleep hygiene (screens, stress before going to bed), eating patterns (I think eating a lot for lunch makes me more tired), sugar consumption, caffeine, engagement of work, getting exercise regularly, getting some exercise when the tiredness hits vs taking the nap.

toomuchtodo• 5 years ago

Siesta/afternoon naps are engrained in some cultures, and if it improves your quality of life and is compatible with your work expectations, I recommend continuing the practice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siesta

softwaredoug• 5 years ago

The trick is to keep it to a power nap, I set my alarm to no more than 40 mins in the future (extra time in case it takes time to doze off...)

muzani2• 5 years ago

Sometimes it's food. Sugar crash causes sleepiness.

japhyr• 5 years ago

Almost all my life when working on-location, I've wanted to nap after lunch. I usually got through that by just being a little foggy and less productive after lunch.

When I started working from home, I did nap during that time. My productivity over the course of a day didn't change much, the only difference was that no one cared if I napped after lunch. These days I don't nap much, but that's largely because my work is even more distributed in chunks throughout the day. I think I've changed my daily routines to a degree that I don't get that post-lunch fatigue as much anymore.

tticvs• 5 years ago

I don't nap but I have definitely found it easier to keep a regular sleep schedule. Probably because I can intersperse my household chores (laundry, tidying up, grocery shopping) in the workday as a break so I it doesn't compete with personal time after work. Much easier to not stay up late and therefore get an earlier start.

Also I don't drink as much at home so my sleep quality is definitely better.

(Note I don't yet have kids and my partner has a similiar sleep schedule as me)

santa_boy• 5 years ago

A power nap of 15-30 mins at noon is a huge productivity hack for me. By self-observation, I think it is a natural need and should be addressed.

muzani2• 5 years ago

I sleep at 9 PM, wake up at 4-5 AM. Life without commute is good. My kids actually wake up earlier too now that they don't have to wake early for school.

I've often napped in midday, even at the office. Ironically, I sleep more consistently at the office (in my car) than I do at the home office with a bed nearby.

cm2012• 5 years ago

I go to bed at 2am and wake up at 10 now

dv_dt• 5 years ago

Commute time was switched over to more frequent morning exercise and that’s been a big plus to my energy and productivity level.

kf6nux• 5 years ago

Initially, pandemic life was much worse for my sleep. Stress, burnout, exercising less (not even walking to/from the office), getting older, eating worse, all contributed to sleep problems (sleeping too much).

I changed jobs, saw a doctor, started eating better, am forcing some exercise, improved body chemistry, improved blood pressure. I'm sleeping better now than before the beginning of the pandemic, I have an easy time staying awake during the day, and I'm not even having caffeine anymore.

Being in your 40s, a reduction in sex hormones could be a contributing factor as well. Consider getting them checked.

TheMonarchist• 5 years ago

I sleep when I'm sleepy.

tluyben2• 5 years ago

No (I never worked in an office), but the pandemic did; since about 1.5 years (since the actual lockdown), I start at 5 am and go to bed at 9 pm. I always (the previous 25-odd years of being an adult) woke up around 11 am and went to bed around 3 am. I guess I went the reverse of what many who worked in an office before did.

nicbou• 5 years ago

Not at all, but it did change my work schedule (I'm self-employed). I'm much more aware of the weather, because I prefer to work on cloudy days and enjoy the sun when it comes out.

anotheryou• 5 years ago

no commute: get up later, have more time, no need to stay up longer to get something private done, and if I stay up longer not hat bad because I can sleep longer.

All splendid

replwoacause• 5 years ago

They've changed for the worse. I stay up later because I don't have to be up at a specific time to shower, commute and sit in an office. I normally go to bed around 2 AM and sleep until 8:30 AM.

me_me_mu_mu2• 5 years ago

I sleep way less in return for way more productivity. I sign off work at 4pm. Start dinner prep and exercise. 6pm to 1am work on side projects, play games with friends, whatever. Sleep. Wake up at 7:30am and start over.

tkiolp42• 5 years ago

Do you feel that 6.5h of sleep is good enough? You don’t sleep more because you can’t or because you don’t want?

me_me_mu_mu2• 5 years ago

I feel like sleep takes away from the things I want to be doing. 6 hours is the minimum I feel I need to feel refreshed. I try to optimize for low stress, so I feel like that should balance out lol

tkiolp42• 5 years ago

Not by much. I usually go to sleep between 1am and 2am, and get up around 9 and 10.

Ask HN: How has long-term work from home changed your sleep habits?

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