Is your home office ruining your sleep routine?
Why social isolation has worsened your Zzzzs
This post is part of a series entitled “Working Fluently From Home.” Click here for the archived posts.
If you turned one of your rooms into a home office in 2020 (or any other year), the good news is that the Internal Revenue Service will let you deduct business expenses — whether you’re a homeowner or a renter, in all types of homes (condominium, mobile home, single-family home, boat, apartment, etc.). The semi-bad news is that that home office must exclusively and regularly be used as a principal place for a trade or business, so don’t bother trying to claim your living room or bedroom if you’re using it for everyday activities, too.
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The worst news is — whether you try to get a tax deduction or not — you may be ruining your sleeping habits by working from home, specifically if you work in your bedroom. According to CNN’s “Sleep, But Better” report, you should avoid working in your bedroom so your brain does not affiliate it with work, as opposed to sleep (or intimacy).
And unless your “work” involves being a dog boarder and/or dog caregiver, pet owners may feel a way about reading that furry animals should stay off the bed, too. Why? The noise from purring or tail wagging may disrupt sleep, along with the animal dander that triggers pet allergies.
Recommended Read: “No dogs allowed? When to bend the condo rules ~ Is your no-pet policy doing more harm than good for condo owners?”
While pen, paper and file cabinets may not be as much of an issue — although it may lead to late-night re-organizing and “only five minutes” work habits — electronics are the bigger issue in bedroom/home offices.
Darkness triggers your body’s natural sleeping mechanisms. Bright lights from tablets, laptops and smartphones may confuse your body as much as sleeping with all of your lights on. (In all fairness, day nappers can fall asleep as easily in a brightly lit, sunny room with the TV blasting as they would in a dark, cool room.)