Dark mornings and colder temperatures are quietly reshaping how many people start the working day, with home working increasingly spilling into spaces once reserved for rest.
For a growing number of remote workers, the commute now stretches little further than reaching for a laptop under the duvet. What begins as checking a few emails before getting up often turns into hours spent working propped against pillows, particularly during winter when motivation to leave bed is at its lowest.
While the habit may feel comfortable and even productive in the short term, health specialists warn it comes with physical and mental downsides. As hybrid working becomes embedded across the UK labour market, how staff use their homes during working hours is emerging as a workplace wellbeing issue rather than a personal quirk.
Evidence of how widespread the behaviour has become comes from a survey of 1,000 UK adults by MattressNextDay, which found that almost half of people who regularly work from home do so from their bed. A further 22 percent said they had done so in the past, suggesting the practice is no longer an occasional indulgence.
More than three quarters of respondents said darker and colder mornings made them more likely to work from bed, pointing to a winter-specific pattern rather than a year-round habit.
Why the bed makes a poor workstation
To understand the physical impact of working from bed, the retailer worked with Rebecca Bossick, a chartered physiotherapist and founder of physiotherapy and sports massage clinics One Body LDN.
“Beds are designed for rest, not for sustained sitting,” she said. “When you sit on a mattress, the pelvis sinks and the lower back rounds. People then tilt their head and neck forward to see the screen, which increases the load on the joints at the top of the spine.”
She said that in partially flexed positions for extended periods gradually alters muscle length and joint loading. “When this becomes routine, it can lead to recurring lower back pain, reduced mobility through the mid-spine, neck stiffness and tension headaches. Over time, the body adapts to these positions, which is why everyday movement can start to feel uncomfortable.”
Winter conditions can amplify the effects. Bossick said bedding subtly changes posture, even when people feel relaxed. “The bulk of the duvet lifts the elbows and presses against the stomach, encouraging a rounded, forward-leaning position. People often perch rather than sit with their pelvis properly supported, which increases load through the spine.”
Colder temperatures also affect how the body responds to static positions. “When temperatures drop, the body instinctively tightens for warmth, circulation slows, and muscles lose some of their usual suppleness. A position that feels manageable in summer can become uncomfortable much more quickly in winter.”
When work, rest and distraction merge
The research suggests that once work moves into the bedroom, boundaries between tasks, rest and distraction quickly erode. While working from bed, more than a third of respondents said they scroll social media, a similar proportion watch television and one in five admitted to online shopping during working hours. One in five also said they had engaged in sexual activity with a partner while technically working from home.
Bossick said distraction increases physical strain by reducing awareness of posture. “When people become absorbed in a screen, they often collapse into exaggerated positions, such as curling through the mid-spine or dropping the head forward. These uneven postures load the spine asymmetrically and can lead to joint irritation, muscle fatigue, and neck or shoulder tightness.”
Fatigue also appears closely linked to the lack of separation between work and rest. More than half of respondents said they had fallen asleep or taken a nap while working from home, with a third saying this happens regularly, reinforcing how easily the bedroom becomes an all-purpose space.
Signs the body is struggling
Bossick said the body typically gives early warning signals when it is failing to recover properly. “Morning stiffness, headaches starting at the base of the skull, tingling or heaviness in the arms, or pain that lingers into the evening can indicate the spine is not recovering between periods of strain.”
She added that pain that disrupts sleep or worsens when turning in bed may point to irritation of small spinal joints and should be assessed by a professional.
For people who occasionally work from bed out of necessity, Bossick said duration matters. “Twenty to thirty minutes is the most the body can tolerate before posture starts to collapse. Regular breaks to stand, stretch, or reset are essential.”
Using firm cushions to support the lower back, raising screens closer to eye level and supporting the arms can reduce strain, although she stressed these measures remain compromises rather than solutions.
She said recovery overnight becomes especially important for people whose winter routines place extra stress on their backs. “For people whose daytime habits put extra strain on their backs, the right level of support at night can make a noticeable difference.”
She added that comfort should not be confused with support. “A bed feels inviting on dark January mornings, but it needs proper structure to truly support spinal health. Treating bed working as an occasional fallback, and prioritising good support at night, can really help protect the back in the long run.”
