A Reddit post describing the physical and mental strain of working from home has gone viral online after an employee talked about dealing with exhaustion, dizziness, poor concentration and low motivation despite getting enough sleep each night.
The discussion started on Reddit’s r/developersIndia community, where a user detailed life in a work setup with no windows, little sunlight, and minimal social interaction.
In a post titled “WFH is fueling my energy levels. I’m always dizzy, zero focus, and working in a windowless room. Is this normal?”, the employee explained how telecommuting has gradually started to affect daily productivity and overall health over the past few months.
“I feel like it’s taking a serious toll”
A Redditor shared concerns about the experience, writing, “I’m looking for some advice because of my current WFH setup (my first WFH experience in 4 months). I feel like it’s taking a serious toll on my health and productivity. I’m starting to wonder if I’m just doing my routine wrong or if WFH just isn’t for me.”
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The employee said that although he sleeps nearly eight to nine hours every night, waking up refreshed has become increasingly difficult. According to the post, energy levels and focus continued to drop, making it difficult to stay productive and motivated during work hours.
“I’m a naturally social person and new to these long WFH shifts. My energy levels have been completely depleted for the past 2 months. I feel dizzy and groggy every morning, even after a solid 8-9 hours of sleep. I can’t seem to reach my peak focus and my enthusiasm is just gone,” the person wrote.
A screenshot from a viral post.
A room without windows and a lack of sunlight highlighted as the main problem
Describing the home office, the Redditor said that the room lacks any access to natural light due to sharing a wall with a neighboring building.
“Room: This might be the biggest problem – my room has absolutely no windows due to sharing a wall with my neighbor. Just a door. I have no natural sunlight during the day,” the post read.
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The employee also reflected on how work habits have changed with the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools such as Claude and Cursor.
“I usually wake up around 9:30 – 9:45 and my standup starts right after that at 10:15 – 10:30. I mostly work with Claude/Cursor now. Because the AI handles a lot, I miss the feeling of “intensive” development. We only really call when someone gets stuck. Even if the user I try to improve the skills after the lecture.
In an effort to improve health and regain focus, the Redditor said they recently started going to the gym. However, symptoms such as dizziness and lack of concentration reportedly continued throughout the day.
“I recently started going to the gym to try to get some energy back, but the dizziness and lack of focus throughout the day is still a big problem. Has anyone experienced this kind of extreme WFH fatigue and dizziness?” the employee asked.
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The user also questioned whether being indoors for extended periods of time without sunlight could be related to vitamin D or iron deficiency.
After the post went viral, several Reddit users shared similar experiences and recommended lifestyle changes, medical tests, and better daily routines. Many argued that the problem was not necessarily the work from home itself, but rather the limited movement, isolation and poor exposure to sunlight.
One user commented: “WFH is actually an energy saver bro. No commute is such a plus. Join a gym if you can and watch your diet and vitamin levels. It’ll be good. See if you can change your room to something with a window and sunlight.”
Another wrote: “Get your vitamin D and B12 checked.”
Some users have focused on lifestyle modification instead of relying solely on medical solutions. One redditor suggested, “Wake up early and walk in the sun for at least 15 minutes every day before going to the gym. Eat normally and take a break every 30 minutes and go for a 5 minute walk around the house. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep.”
Others said they faced similar challenges when working remotely.
“Same problem. Although I haven’t had my vitamin levels checked yet, I would highly recommend doing so. I’ve also started a morning routine, getting up early, going for a run and getting some fresh air and morning sun. Combined with a good diet, it’s really helped,” another user shared.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content shared on social media. LiveMint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)
