The coronavirus pandemic has changed our sleep(jeffhuang.com)
jeffhuang.com
The coronavirus pandemic has changed our sleep
https://jeffhuang.com/covid_sleep/
37 comments
Wow. My experience is so different.
I wake up somewhat earlier than normal, though I'm groggy and take hours to fully wake up once out of bed. My productivity is completely shot. My wife, daughter and I spend the day grouchy and stressed out. I worry about my job and my sanity. After work, I find no joy in my hobbies -- I'm worried about how little I accomplished, and start dreading the next day.
I don't miss commuting, the one thing I find in common with your post.
I wake up somewhat earlier than normal, though I'm groggy and take hours to fully wake up once out of bed. My productivity is completely shot. My wife, daughter and I spend the day grouchy and stressed out. I worry about my job and my sanity. After work, I find no joy in my hobbies -- I'm worried about how little I accomplished, and start dreading the next day.
I don't miss commuting, the one thing I find in common with your post.
That sounds like a terrible experience. It sounds like it's hard for you to be productive working from home, so you're stressed out about your job security, and that's having an (understandably) big impact on your mood.
I hope things turn around soon for you!
I hope things turn around soon for you!
Working from home productively is objectively hard. It took me close to a decade to figure it out. I know people that gave up a freelancing career because it was too frustrating.
Good news is that there's so much more information about this nowadays. Start with a google of "deep work" and go from there. It'll be time well invested. You may not get to prefer WFH, but you can definitely improve things.
Good news is that there's so much more information about this nowadays. Start with a google of "deep work" and go from there. It'll be time well invested. You may not get to prefer WFH, but you can definitely improve things.
The problem is specifically working from home with your spouse who also works and babies/toddlers/kids all day long at home because of the lockdown.
It's a killer combination and it's not merely "working from home" (which of course has its own challenges). A person without kids or single may find it ideal. I don't.
It's a killer combination and it's not merely "working from home" (which of course has its own challenges). A person without kids or single may find it ideal. I don't.
Absolutely. The few times I've had to go into the office, it's been a major chore. I get far more done every day because even though I have a private office at work, there's still a constant background hum of chatter, people working, office machinery, etc.
Not to mention that I can make pretty much anything I want for lunch, take random walks around the house or down the street to stretch my legs, jump up and do calisthenics for a few minutes at random.
I'm loving this so much!
Not to mention that I can make pretty much anything I want for lunch, take random walks around the house or down the street to stretch my legs, jump up and do calisthenics for a few minutes at random.
I'm loving this so much!
I've actually had the opposite experience: I am waking up earlier, without an alarm clock. I'm not sure I have a good explanation for why, but overall I guess I just feel more rested and have been able to maintain more consistency in my schedule. Less socializing on weekends (which means no late nights) helps too (although I do miss some of it)
As an aside, I've always said I'll know I've made it when I no longer have to wake up to an alarm clock. This is not the scenario I quite had in mind, but I'll take it.
As an aside, I've always said I'll know I've made it when I no longer have to wake up to an alarm clock. This is not the scenario I quite had in mind, but I'll take it.
Today, for the first time, I went back to the office. It was horrible. I had to get up earlier. I had to shower before my first meeting. Get entirely dressed. Walk to the subway. Walk, walk, walk. Just to sit at a desk in an office with my laptop carried from home. What a waste of time and energy!
PS: yes, it was nice to see some colleagues but I don’t wanna do it more than once a week. Max!
PS: yes, it was nice to see some colleagues but I don’t wanna do it more than once a week. Max!
In a lot of places, offices are also going to be a lot different for a long time. For example, masks, limited use of conference rooms, no food service/snacks/drinks, separation, etc.
Totally with you there. I switched jobs from a 100% in-office software engineering gig to a remote-first software company. The upshot was that there was an office in my city that I could go into and work from a couple days a week. The WFH-default, office-optional model is what I prefer now.
The walking part is healthy through.
Absolutely! My smartwatch was quite happy today. I just wasn’t used to it anymore I guess :D
For me that's the only drawback. I have a 0.75 mile walk from the bus to work so it forced me to get a minimum of exercise. Now I have to force myself to go for daily walks. Luckily I have a 10 year-old who will keep asking until I say yes.
I have a pair of six-year-olds at home. I'm waking up later because I can, but I'm also missing out on the 45 minute "L" ride to and from work which was prime reading time for me, plus having that built-in walk at each end of the ride for exercise. I actually feel like I have less free time now than I did before.
Exactly. The time gained by not commuting is spent (and worse) on stressing out and watching my 1-year old while trying to accomplish something job-related at the same time.
My experience has been similar. I start my day about ten minutes after I wake up, and I'm home the moment my day is done. Effectively giving two more hours of free time. With the exception of the global pandemic this is the most relaxed I have been in years.
>> Honestly, work from home has been such a quantum leap in my quality of life.
Likewise, but backwards. I hate not being in the office at least 2-3 days per week, seeing people, socializing.
EDIT: WFH is great and I love it, but for me, I'm not as productive full-time on-site or full-time off-site. Having a hybrid approach is my sweet spot.
Likewise, but backwards. I hate not being in the office at least 2-3 days per week, seeing people, socializing.
EDIT: WFH is great and I love it, but for me, I'm not as productive full-time on-site or full-time off-site. Having a hybrid approach is my sweet spot.
> I would be perfectly content to never return to an office.
Probably won't happen, so I'll enjoy it while I can.
I have the same experience. I absolutely loved working from home every day.
Here in Denmark, where things have opened up again after COVID-19, there was lots and lots of talk about how working remotely had changed society, and things would probably never return to the old "normal".
Fast forward about 4 weeks, and everybody is driving to work like they used to like COVID-19 never happened. So much for change :)
I have the same experience. I absolutely loved working from home every day.
Here in Denmark, where things have opened up again after COVID-19, there was lots and lots of talk about how working remotely had changed society, and things would probably never return to the old "normal".
Fast forward about 4 weeks, and everybody is driving to work like they used to like COVID-19 never happened. So much for change :)
Exactly the same in France, except that you still hear about the "revolutionary changes" this brought.
Tomorrow is one of the black weekends in France (worst road conditions in the year because of people commuting to or from vacation) and this is exactly like every year.
Tomorrow is one of the black weekends in France (worst road conditions in the year because of people commuting to or from vacation) and this is exactly like every year.
It's important when doing these kinds of analyses to consider the effects of DST.
The first graph in the article depicts April 2, 2019 sleep times vs April 7, 2020. But April 2 was just a day after the time change (Dec 31 2019), while the 2020 week was eight days after (Dec 29 2020).
How people adjust to the time change, given the ability to sleep in, is a very interesting topic. But it is different than a description of overall sleep, and it should be a separate analysis.
The first graph in the article depicts April 2, 2019 sleep times vs April 7, 2020. But April 2 was just a day after the time change (Dec 31 2019), while the 2020 week was eight days after (Dec 29 2020).
How people adjust to the time change, given the ability to sleep in, is a very interesting topic. But it is different than a description of overall sleep, and it should be a separate analysis.
Yeah, I came here to say exactly this. I would guess that most people's schedules are based on wall clock times and DST doesn't matter, but I'm not really sure.
The author doesn't owe me anything, obviously, but I wish he had included a graph or two showing the normal variance (if any) over the same timeframe in a non-epidemic year. Then I'd have a bit more faith in his conclusions.
The author doesn't owe me anything, obviously, but I wish he had included a graph or two showing the normal variance (if any) over the same timeframe in a non-epidemic year. Then I'd have a bit more faith in his conclusions.
It has definitely changed the sleep habits of my family. However, I've been working and in the office as usual the entire time and my sleep habits have not changed at all. My kids have no reason to get up early and really not much to do in summer. My wife has been mostly off of work, so she maps to what the kids are doing. The biggest struggle for me is having everyone stay up late - I previously had some quiet/alone time in the last hour or so of the day, now I'm going to bed first on many nights.
> However, I've been working and in the office as usual the entire time and my sleep habits have not changed at all.
Same boat here, can confirm no changes in sleeping patterns. At this point I'm frankly jealous of people who got laid off during this whole thing because all it has meant for me is wearing a mask everywhere and my gym being closed long enough for me to get quite out of shape.
Same boat here, can confirm no changes in sleeping patterns. At this point I'm frankly jealous of people who got laid off during this whole thing because all it has meant for me is wearing a mask everywhere and my gym being closed long enough for me to get quite out of shape.
Its a mixed bag. Its hard to watch the family be basically on vacation for months while I get up and go to work everyday. On the other hand, they have done everything there is to do around the house a bunch of times and are mostly bored. When the kids were still in school I'd come home to a frustrated and pissed off family everyday and I have to sit down and do school work with the kids so that they would get it done. Home school was a real struggle in my house.
> My wife has been mostly off of work, so she maps to what the kids are doing. The biggest struggle for me is having everyone stay up late - I previously had some quiet/alone time in the last hour or so of the day, now I'm going to bed first on many nights.
Same struggle here. My desk is also in the master bedroom, so any early morning calls I have tend to wake up whomever is in the room (which usually includes at least one kid that woke up during the night and migrated in). My other half handles it well enough (as I worked from home frequently prior to the pandemic), but when it wakes up a kid that ended up in our bedroom after staying up way later than they should have, it leads to a really cranky household for the whole day.
Same struggle here. My desk is also in the master bedroom, so any early morning calls I have tend to wake up whomever is in the room (which usually includes at least one kid that woke up during the night and migrated in). My other half handles it well enough (as I worked from home frequently prior to the pandemic), but when it wakes up a kid that ended up in our bedroom after staying up way later than they should have, it leads to a really cranky household for the whole day.
One nice benefit of working from home due to lockdown is that I haven't set an alarm in months. I just naturally get up fairly early with the sun now, so it's pretty unlikely that I'll miss my first 10:00 call.
The home being totally redone next door is my new alarm clock. its terrible to live next to, all day power tools and hammers going.
I am not surprise about the findings that people are sleeping later and longer. The lack of stimuli from going to work, engaging face to face with colleagues, and coming home feels a like remote working induced fog.
This feeling reminds me of the Mars500 study where astronauts simulates the trip to Mars and stays in a capsule for 520 days. The study finds that as repetitive routine sets in, the crew's mood worsened, as a result, the crew slept later and longer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3973648/
This feeling reminds me of the Mars500 study where astronauts simulates the trip to Mars and stays in a capsule for 520 days. The study finds that as repetitive routine sets in, the crew's mood worsened, as a result, the crew slept later and longer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3973648/
It could also be that people who are working from home are more able to fall into their body's natural/preferred sleep pattern.
Since the pandemic I started getting up around 6 am without an alarm clock. I never did that before. A big part of that is I go to bed earlier, as there is nothing worth staying up late for.
I've found I can focus so much more if I get up early and have been super productive these past few months. I am going to keep doing this when the pandemic is over.
I've found I can focus so much more if I get up early and have been super productive these past few months. I am going to keep doing this when the pandemic is over.
> Since the pandemic I started getting up around 6 am without an alarm clock. I never did that before. A big part of that is I go to bed earlier, as there is nothing worth staying up late for.
I was the same way until daylight hours started getting longer and I found a good page turner. Before that I was out by 9:30 or 10 and up with the sunrise.
I was the same way until daylight hours started getting longer and I found a good page turner. Before that I was out by 9:30 or 10 and up with the sunrise.
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I don't know why, at least consciously, but I've started to sleep less with the lockdown (italian here): from ~8hrs to ~6hrs, more or less, waking up fresh&ready.
I've also been more energic: I started running and started being more consistent with the weight training, sometimes both in the same day. Also lost 6Kg in the last 4 months!
But work has been the same: no increase or loss in productivity. Lockdown forced WFH, but I used to WFH for years. The only difference is that in the last 10 months I've been going to the office daily because of a new job, enjoyed the atmosphere and the colleagues. And because it was only an 8 minutes commute.
But work has been the same: no increase or loss in productivity. Lockdown forced WFH, but I used to WFH for years. The only difference is that in the last 10 months I've been going to the office daily because of a new job, enjoyed the atmosphere and the colleagues. And because it was only an 8 minutes commute.
I've heard several people say that they are having more vivid and stranger dreams since quarantine started. I wonder how broadly this is occurring.
Honestly, work from home has been such a quantum leap in my quality of life. The fact that I am not spending 1.5 hours in the car every day has given me a surprising amount of time and energy. I don't dread the alarm clock going off every morning, and I can do fun things (at least, fun things that are COVID-safe) after work.
I would be perfectly content to never return to an office. Probably won't happen, so I'll enjoy it while I can.