Is it Bad to Stay Indoors All Day?

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed everything indoors. Classes became online. Work became home-based. Even bonding and meet-ups with friends became virtual. While this abrupt shift in our way of life is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, spending all day at home also has its fair share of possible health risks.

Is it Bad to Stay Indoors All Day?

Generally, spending a day or two indoors won’t harm you. After all, it’s perfectly normal to have those ‘lazy days.’ Students and employees often take advantage of the weekends to spend as much time at home as possible. Even winter and rainy seasons are all about finding warmth and solace indoors.

However, while spending a few days inside our house is perfectly okay, spending weeks or months without going out is a different case. There are lots of risks that come with being cooped up indoors for so long. These include:

•  Depression

The more a person spends his time indoors, the more likely they will feel lonely and isolated. If left untreated, these feelings could develop into mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. This correlation can be traced back to the lack of social interaction, lack of physical activity, and absence of natural elements, which are supposed to bring us feelings of comfort and vitality.

• Obesity

Time spent indoors is almost always synonymous with time spent sitting, eating, and sleeping all day. Since a home is where one feels most comfortable, and at peace, he is also likely to move unhurriedly and with less effort than normal. To add up to the problem, the lack of social interaction and boredom could lead to stress-eating. All in all, these factors increase the risk of obesity among people who spend most of their time at home.

• Weaker immune system

Spending all our days indoors could also lead to a weaker immune system. The reason lies in how confinement leads to reduced sunlight exposure.

Generally, our body creates Vitamin D through direct sunlight. Vitamin D is responsible for keeping our bones strong and healthy, as well as balancing our immune systems. Consequently, spending all our days indoors could lead to vitamin D deficiency, leading to weaker body immunity.

How can we mitigate the risks?

• Stay socially connected while social distancing

Keeping your social connections will help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness. Talk to your family and open up about how you’re feeling lately. It’s also good to reach out to your friends, even through online platforms, such as Zoom or Facebook.

• Create a daily routine

When you don’t have a routine, you’re likely to feel lost and hopeless. Moreover, the abrupt changes brought by the pandemic could put you on a loose end. Creating a day-to-day routine will help keep you active and feel in control of your life once again.

• Spend time in your garden or yard

If you have an outdoor living space, take advantage of that to escape the suffocating setting of the indoors from time to time. You can spend an afternoon tea in the garden or read a book on the patio.

A Word of Advice

If you’re feeling restless, more irritable, or easily tired lately, those might be possible signs that you need to change your lifestyle at home. You can consult your doctor to get expert diagnosis and advice.