Most of us dream of working from home because we want to skip all the hassle of the long commute to the office, avoid toxic workmates, and sit on endless meetings. Today, technology makes it easy for some jobs to have a work-from-home set-up. Now that sounds like fun, right? Working from home may be bad for a long time and can have several health risks over time. That is why in this article, we are going to talk about the ten unexpected health risks that you could develop while working from home.
1. Weight gain
Working from home can cause you to crave junk food or fast food. It also makes you forget about walking, running, or jogging. That is why you have to make sure that you have a healthy diet that includes more fruits and leafy greens in order for you to stay healthy. It would be best to have regular exercise such as swimming, cycling, jogging, walking, and running.
2. Back pain
This is one of the significant health concerns of those who are working from home. This is because when you are at home, you forget that you lack proper sitting posture. Sitting in the wrong position for a very long time can cause spinal-related problems and severe back pain. That is why do not forget to sit straight and make sure that your computer or laptop is placed at the right height when you’re working. It also helps to drink a lot of water throughout the day to help you stay hydrated.
3. Eye strain
Being in front of your smartphone or laptop with high brightness for a long time can result in eye strain and cause eye power to increase. That is why always remember to keep your gadgets on low brightness to help your eye muscles relaxed.
4. Relationship problems
Working from home does not only affect your physical health, but it also affects your mental health. Working from home can lead to misunderstandings between you and your family member or partner. This is because you are spending more time with each other at home. That is why you have to ensure that you take time to talk and address the tension or stress with your partner or another family member.
5. Insomnia
Being focused on your laptop or mobile phone all day can also leave you staring at the ceiling all night. The sleep cycle is often disturbed if you are working from home. This is why you need to turn off your phone or laptop before you sleep.
6. Anxiety
Working from home gives you a lot of time to think, and it can leave you feeling anxious about your performance. We suggest that you set a schedule for your daily log-in and log-out time in order for you to stay in touch with your supervisors or your boss.
7. Loneliness or depression
Humans are social animals, and this means that socializing with other people can help us to keep moving on with life. Working from home reduces social interaction, which leads to depression and self-isolation. This can turn out to be a major mental illness; that is why even if you’re working from home, take the time to call your friends and schedule weekly meets.
8. Text neck
This might not sound familiar, but it is a condition most of us face daily. Text neck happens when you keep looking at your phone for an extended period of time, which is why when you move your neck back from the phone, you can get muscle stiffness or a neck strain. We suggest that you limit your phone use and keep your neck straight while you’re on it.