7 Health Benefits Of Working From Home

You know the saying – health is wealth. There are many health benefits of working from home. 

If you are considering working from home, becoming self-employed or freelancing this post is for you! 

If you are already working from home, this post will help you to leverage some of the health benefits of doing so. 

So without further ado, let’s get started! 

Get more sleep 

A good night’s sleep is often underrated, but it is vital for maintaining good health. 

Benefits of getting an adequate amount of quality sleep include:

• Reducing stress
• Improving your memory
• Helping your body to repair
• Improve your mood

One of the great health benefits of working from home is that you can use the time that you would spend on the daily commute to get extra sleep. 

If you are a fan of power naps, working from home will easily allow you to do this. 

Reduce stress 

Work-related stress and anxiety accounts for over 50% of sick days taken by workers in the UK. 

Stress can lead to a wide range of health problems including:

• Headaches 
• Sleep problems
• Changes in appetite 
• Dizziness 
• Muscle pain 
• Feeling tired all the time

Working remotely or from home even if it’s just for a few days a week can have positive health benefits. 

It will give you the opportunity to get work done, whilst taking away the pressures associated with going into the office such as enduring the daily commute and navigating office politics. 

Furthermore, working from home can save you money. 

You’ll save money from not having to commute or use your car as much. Furthermore, if you usually purchase your lunch, you’ll also save money from not having to do so when you’re at home. 

Working from home can be stressful so it is important to identify the actions you can take to minimise or eliminate stress. 

Better work-life balance

During your lunch break whilst working from home you can take on some of your household duties such as putting on the laundry or putting away the dishes.

This allows you to have more time in the evenings to pursue activities that will help you to reduce your stress levels such as doing yoga, exercise or meditation. 

Working from home may help you to spend more time with your family. 

The flexible work schedule that it allows you to have could, for example, allow you to collect your children from school. 

Improve your physical health 

Another health benefit of working from home is that it can give you the flexibility to fit in more time to exercise. 

If you enjoy going to the gym during quieter times, working from home all allow you to take advantage of this. 

When working from home, you’ll also be able to do some desk exercises whilst you are working and during your breaks without distracting your colleagues or feeling silly. 

However, without needing to commute, some remote workers and freelancers may find themselves becoming more sedentary. 

Therefore, it is important that you schedule in time to do at least 60 minutes of exercise each day. 

Less exposure to pollution 

Not having to use the bus, train or tube two times a day reduces your amount of pollution exposure. 

Breathing in pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide can irritate the airways of the lungs. 

You can find out more information on the air quality in London here.

Work from a healthier environment

Working from home gives you full control to be able to tailor your home office space.

For example, you’ll be able to adjust the lighting and temperature of your working space.

You’ll also be in control of the types of food and snacks you have in your house, so won’t be tempted to indulge in office treats.

Creating a work environment that is tailored to you can help you to boost your productivity and eliminate distractions from co-workers.

More flexibility to attend appointments

Taking on remote jobs or working from home allows you to have more flexibility to attend doctors, dentist and optician appointments.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get medical appointments in the evenings if you work in an office-based environment. Equally, it can be difficult to get the time during the day to attend appointments if you work in an office-based job.

Whilst there are many health benefits of working from home, there are also some disadvantages too! So it is important to always monitor your physical and mental health and take the actions you need to improve it.