10 Pro Tips To Stop Oversleeping When Working From Home

Remote working is too much fun, no doubt. You can choose your own work routine. But at the same time, you have to fight the urge to sleep all the time. Do you also tend to oversleep when working from home? Here’s what you need to do.

Make it a habit to work from a designated home office instead of the bed. Apart from that, avoiding oily snacks, exercising daily, and maintaining limited screen time before bed helps to improve sleep quality. Hence, you don’t feel the urge to oversleep.

Of course, it’s easy said than done. It seems impossible to resist your bed. If you think the same, keep reading this article. Luckily, we have just the right tips to get you out of this oversleeping habit and get those pending tasks done.

Are You Really Oversleeping?

First of all, let’s clear out what we mean by oversleeping. Sleeping more hours after a tiring or hectic day isn’t oversleeping. Our bodies need sleep as much as it needs food. But there’s a healthy limit to it. Both overeating and oversleeping are dangerous to us. 

As an adult, you should have 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It might look like oversleeping if your previous sleep hours were 4-5 hours. Just know that it’s healthy. However, you are oversleeping if you cross this range in a usual workday. More than 7 hours of bedtime can bring certain complications into our life. Such as:

1. Fatigue/Tiredness: Sleeping is supposed to erase fatigue after a tough day. But oversleeping does the opposite of that. You feel more tired after you wake up. 

• Anxiety: Oversleeping causes anxiety in a huge number of workers. It’s because you are behind the deadline most of the time. Not just that, you don’t find the energy or motivation to perform better due to oversleeping. 

• Physical Issues: Problems like headaches, backaches, etc are pretty common symptoms in people who oversleep. Apart from that, your body will slowly become vulnerable to obesity and diabetes. 

Why Do We Oversleep While Working From Home?

Ever wondered why do remote workers tend to oversleep? Does it have any connection to their work pattern? Unfortunately, the answer would be yes. Here are the three core reasons why you might be oversleeping while working from home.

1. Procrastination

People who are heavy procrastinators find it hard to get up on their own without motivation. Since remote workers don’t need to be present early in the office, there’s a lack of motivation to wake up for them.

Procrastinators will also under-sleep when a project is due. But this random lack of sleep will lead them to oversleep the following days. 

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2. Conditioned Brain

From childhood, our brain is conditioned to relax at home and work outside. But as we adapt to the new home office culture, things become a little contradictory. For example, you are asking the body to stay active and highly motivated while sitting on the living room couch or bed. Of course, it doesn’t work like that.

Even though you can get one or two jobs done, most of the time you will suffer from oversleeping. That’s simply because our brain is conditioned to turn the “relax” or “sleep” mode on in these circumstances.

3. Wrong Sleep Pattern

Last but not the least, a wrong sleep pattern is the worst culprit. For example, you are ditching the night’s sleep to watch movies or Netflix. You think you can make up for it the next day. You feel droopy in the morning. But the surrounding is not appropriate for sleeping anymore.

If you live with a family, they will make noises. And, the bright sun peeking through your window is another thing that will ruin your sleep. Even if you refuse to get up before 7 hours, you don’t get the quality rest you desired. That keeps you tired and leads to a habit of oversleeping.

10 Pro Tips To Stop Oversleeping When Working From Home

Struggling to keep up with the deadline? Then, the habit of oversleeping needs to go today. Follow the 10 techniques we have for you and track your improvement.

1. Set Up A Home Office 

If you oversleep due to working from bed, you can easily solve it by using an office. Yes, all you need is a fully furnished home office. Then, you have a specific place to be every morning. 

It resembles working from a physical office and gets you into the mode.

 If you bind yourself to stay at least 6 to 7 hours a day inside the office during day time, you have already overcome oversleeping. We will highly recommend setting up a home office outside the bedroom. It’s easy to get bored and move into bed with your laptop. And, soon, you are snoring.

It’s better to opt for a separate room as a workspace. But if your house doesn’t have an empty space, just use the existing living area. Establish a desk with lots of storage behind the couch area and decorate it. Make sure it has everything you need so that you don’t need to get up frequently from the seat.

Here are some cool places that work as a home office:

• Living room: Behind the couch.
• Living room: Against the window.
• Kitchen Table
• Study Room
• Converted Closet

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2. Make The Most Of Your Sleep Hours

You won’t have the urge to oversleep if you are getting quality rest during sleep hours. Have you ever slept wrong? For example, using a pillow that’s too thin or thick, on a hard mattress, etc. Remember how you felt afterward? We can bet the feeling wasn’t too refreshing. 

That’s why most people feel tired even after a 7-hours sleep session. You have to learn the right elements that affect your sleep quality. Invest in these elements and enjoy your rest. Here’s what we suggest.

Get yourself a high-quality pillow that’s soft (but not too much) and has the exact thickness you like. Second, buy a comfortable mattress. By that, we don’t mean the extremely soft ones. Those mattresses have a tendency to cause back aches after you wake up. Plus, it’s hard to resist such beds and get up early. 

Also, get a nice blanket, dim the lights, and turn on the room heater. You can also get some sleeping eye pads, and headphones to detach yourself from the surrounding. We think it’s handy if you like to sleep earlier than the rest of your family. All of these might seem a bit expensive, but the result is totally worth it.

3. Eat Clean

You have to eat well to sleep better. We know it’s a huge disappointment to the foodies. But you have to put a ban on stress-eating. According to reports, junk foods like burgers, and pizza on a regular basis can trigger oversleeping. Try to switch to a healthier diet. Eat enough vegetables to improve your digestive system and sleep pattern.

There’s another thing we would like to point out. what do you eat or drink just before hitting the bed? That’s a crucial factor as well. According to research, 400 mg of caffeine can reduce your sleep hours by one hour even if you consume it way before sleeping.

We would suggest you stay away from all kinds of energy drinks, coffee, or tea 6 hours before your bedtime. Follow this instruction religiously to get a better sleep quality at night. Also, extremely spicy food like ramen might reduce your sleep quality as well. so, be aware of that.

Now, let’s talk about some good foods. If you need to drink something before bed, make yourself a cup of chamomile tea, passionflower tea, hot chocolate, or cherry juice. Eating kiwi, almonds, and dark chocolate also improves your sleep quality.

4. Get Away From Your Cell-Phone

This is perhaps the most important rule to follow. Nowadays people go to sleep early and don’t really sleep. They keep scrolling through their phones and soon, it’s past 3 am. 

Of course, the next day you feel tired due to lack of sleep. Since you are working remotely, there’s less motivation to get up and start the day.

You might put stuff up for later and get some much-needed sleep. That’s a very unhealthy lifestyle. The only remedy we know is putting the cell phone away from yourself one hour ahead of bedtime. Yes, it sounds almost impossible. But habits are not built overnight. Practice it daily without giving up.

Remember not to put the phone away just before you decide to shut your eyes. That doesn’t work. Even if the phone is not in your hand, your mind still imagines the last thing you saw on the screen. It gets tough to doze off that way. That’s why it’s important to spend some technology-free time before deciding to sleep.

5. Give Yourself A Stretch Break

What do you do when you feel burned out during work? You might like drinking coffee or scrolling through Instagram posts. But most of us associate this short stress with tiredness. We think we are overburdened and decide to take a nap. That’s where we made a mistake.

You see, people don’t need so many naps to overcome work stress. You might feel fatigued due to sitting in the same spot for way too long. we are talking about the stiff neck. What you can do instead is give yourself a stretching break. It doesn’t have to be too long. Just 5 to 10 minutes of focused meditation/yoga is all you need.

Here’s a stretch routine for you to follow. Get up from the seat every hour and have a 10 minutes break. Walk around the office/house, run on the treadmill or do some random yoga positions. Once you reach the last phase of your work day, increase the break sessions. Get up from the desk every 30 minutes and have 5 minutes of break time. 

6. Build A Sleep Routine

Keeping a sleep journal is the ultimate hack to fight oversleeping. If you are in a habit of daily planning, you already know what we are talking about. But in case journaling is new to you, here’s what you have to do.

There’s no specific format. You only need to keep track of your sleep hours and behaviors to find the best routine for yourself. Note down how you spent a day including your diet, physical activity, work schedule, how many hours you slept, etc. Don’t forget to put a remark regarding whether you felt tired after getting up or not. do this every day and you have a journal ready.

Carefully analyze your sleep pattern and see why you might have overslept on a particular day. The journal will say whether you have eaten heavy food, worked too late, or had too much screen time. You can fix the mistakes the following day to find the best sleeping routine possible.

7. Choose A Work Pattern

What if you are oversleeping due to a wrong work pattern? You see, there are certain times during the day when we feel the most sleepy. Have you chosen that time to sit in front of the desk? Then, don’t be so surprised if you fall asleep and get nothing done.

Now, why you feel so sleepy during the afternoon depends on a lot of factors. We will not go there. The important thing is to avoid those hours while making a work schedule. You know your sleeping pattern the most. Some people can stay awake at night and do their work productively. While some are morning people and can’t miss the night’s sleep.

8. Consider Good Lighting In The Office

Many people ignore the lighting within a home office. And, oversleeping is just the price for that. Most small offices are established within bedrooms. But the problem here is the lighting. 

Bedrooms normally have the dimmest light bulbs among the other rooms. The warm tone helps your eye muscles relax better and sleep.

That’s why you can’t expect to work without losing focus or falling asleep. Make sure your home office has the lighting of cool tones. It should be bright white instead of yellowish. A little blue is what you should be looking for. Such lighting is considered the best to keep your mind awake. 

9. Use An Alarm Tool

If you are not a big fan of changing habits, at least use an alarm tool. But you have to master the art of getting up as soon as the alarm goes off. don’t snooze it and go back to sleep again.

Make the alarm sound loud. The harder it is to snooze off an alarm, the better.

We prefer a physical table clock. You have to get up a bit to turn it off. that’s way more effective than disabling your phone’s alarm rings.

10. Exercise Regularly

We talked about the stretch break earlier. But if you really want to stop oversleeping spend some time exercising regularly. Just an hour of jogging in the morning should be enough. You can also try cardio, weight lifting, pilates, or any form of exercise that fit your body type.

People who exercise end to lead a more active day than an average person. Exercise immediately wakes our mind and increase blood flow all over the body. It’s the perfect way to start your day.

We bet you won’t feel sleepy for the whole day. Plus, it enables you to sleep better since your body wants to heal the calory loss.

Before You Go!

Setting up a perfect and inviting home office is not as easy as we have explained here. You have to consider the lighting, wall color, and layout to make the most out of your remote working experience. But according to us, the most crucial element is the lighting.

You can increase your productivity to a huge extent by switching to a different color tone for your office light bulbs. Not sure what we are talking about?

Here’s our guide on choosing the right color temperature for your home office.