When you work from home, you may work at times of the day that are different from most people who are employed outside of the home. This is not a bad thing, in and of itself. It can, however, have an effect on your sleep schedule. This is especially true for home – based professionals who have work hours at different times each day, because it can get in the way of establishing a daily routine.
Whether your work time takes place at the same time each day or not, there are other things that are a part of the lives of many home – based professionals that can leave them lacking in the sleep department. Often, home – based professionals are responsible for taking care of other family members, including children. Any parent of a baby or young child knows that the child who goes to bed on time does not necessarily sleep through the night every night. Even home – based professionals who do not have babies waking up in the middle of their working time can end up staying up very late in order to get work done. This can leave you feeling tired the next day, especially if you are the one who gets up when the kids get up in the morning.
So, what can you do to get your sleep back on track and enjoy being less tired all of the time? Establishing a regular sleep schedule is one important thing that can help you to feel better quickly. If you always go to bed and wake up at different times, your body may be in a state of confusion about when it can expect to be awake or asleep. Once you establish a regular time for going to bed and getting up, your body will become accustomed to that routine and you will find that you fall asleep and wake up more easily. It is possible that you may have to scale back on your work a little bit in order to ensure that you are getting enough rest. Many home – based professionals (myself included) try to work as much as they can. After all, you have to work in order to get paid. Although getting adequate rest does not pay the bills, slogging through your days groggy and tired costs you not only in the productivity department but it can have negative effects on your health, too. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to do just a little more work before I go to bed.
Photo by jade on morguefile.com.