Health Issues You May Face While Working From Home

None of us ever imagined that our lives would change upside down due to an unexpected guest in the form of COVID-19. One of the biggest transformations in this torrid period was work-from-home.

We often used to criticize the monotonous office schedule and always dreamt of something as convenient as work-from-home. The ability to work from home. No more long commute, office politics, endless meetings, etc. Well, in the most uncharacteristic and unthinkable way we all have for work-from home-now.

After almost 6 to 7 months of working from home, one thing that has come up is, work-from-home is demanding. Yes, we are no longer involved in office politics or endless meetings but, the amount of workload has increased gradually, which has jeopardized our health.

In this post, we will be talking about seven health issues that you might encounter while working from home.

Health Issues While Working From Home

Hearing Loss

This might sound uncanny, but working from home might result in hearing loss. When in office, we used to attend meetings and conferences in person or in a group. But, With online conference calls, video calls, and webinars now a mainstay of many of our work environments, it is essential to emphasize the care of our hearing aids. 

Dr. Eric Branda, AuD, Ph.D., an audiologist with Signia Hearing, says, “If headphones or earbuds are being used, it is necessary to make sure the volume is at a safe level. Loud sounds directed to the eardrum can lead to noise-induced hearing loss.”

Stress and Burnout

Another aspect that might sound laid, but working from home can increase the stress rate enormously. Many people adapt to a particular and strict timeline while working from home. They are dedicated to their work particularly in the timeline and take the utmost stress in completion of their work. 

This doesn’t lend them time to respite or recharge that could ultimately lead to stress and burnout. To overcome this, people should look to take interim breaks and get themselves fresh.

Weight Gain

While working from home, it is essential to follow a proper and healthy diet. Doing this will help in preventing unwanted weight gain. Setting nutrition and health-related goals can also help in maintaining healthy body weight.

To set goals for the same, it is recommended to eat a vegetable every day with dinner, eat fruits as an afternoon snack every day, or to switch to whole wheat options for pasta, bread, and crackers, etc.

Back Strain

Sitting for hours in front of your PC or laptop screens could be really painful for your back. Setting up proper ergonomics at home is not at all easy. 

Rand McClain, the chief medical officer of LCR Health in Santa Monica, California says, “Being positioned in an imbalanced or asymmetric position that can lead to overly used and tight muscles of the neck, shoulders and arms and pain.”

It is essential to sit with a posture that comforts your back, arms, chest, shoulders, and neck. Rand McClain also advises to move around once in an hour is perennial too. – This can help in avoiding stiffness in the body.

Muscular Pains/Aches

Muscle aches are also a problem that is imperative while working from home. We tend to sit in a way too bad posture while at home, and in that same posture, we tend to work for hours, resulting in muscle pain.

Well, it might be tempting to work from your bed, couch, or wherever you find comfort and solace, but if your body is not in a great posture, muscle aches will be knocking on your door. Therefore, make sure to get up at least once an hour to stretch and take a short walk and drink excessive water.

Insomnia

Working for long hours in front of a laptop or PC screen without giving ample rest to your eyes might give you sleepless nights. Well, while working from home, you cant avoid your workstation, but before heading to bed, it’s essential to turn off your cell phone, tablet and laptop about two hours before bed to help your body get a perfectly good night’s sleep.

Binge Eating

The eating habits have been affected adversely courtesy of the work-from-home cycle. Easy access to your entire refrigerator and selection of food leads to binge eating or excessive eating. 

You don’t have any control over your cravings that result in an unhealthy diet. To avoid such issues it is necessary to make a meal plan and follow the same without any cheating. Avoid snacking throughout the day and fuel yourself the way if you were in the office. Following these steps might result in burying your endless cravings.

Suggested: 8 Important Life Lessons You Can Learn While Work From Home

Time to wrap up: 

The sudden change in the schedule with work from home created a lot many problems for every individual. To get through this unwanted pandemic at your healthiest, do not be careless with your body and health issues. Have a healthy diet, and stay strong both physically and mentally.