1 in 5 home workers not leaving the house
One in five home workers aren’t leaving the house in daylight hours during the week as lockdown continues to take its toll.
Being too busy to take a lunch break, poor weather and having no reason to go out means 87% have had spells this winter where they haven’t set foot outside during the day – even into their own garden.
And 47% of the 2,000 adults polled who are currently working from home said that while they do head outside to exercise within government guidelines, it is usually once they have finished work and the sun has set.
As a result, the average worker has three days a week where they spend all day inside, with 22% not seeing daylight for the entire working week.
This is despite 80% admitting the amount of time they spend in the sunshine impacts their mood, with 64% feeling more irritable due to being stuck inside all day.
The study also revealed the longest the average adult has gone without going outside in daylight this winter is six days, but almost one in 10 have gone two weeks or more.
While 13% blamed this on shielding or isolating, 32 per cent are simply ‘too busy’ to take a lunch break.
More than four in 10 (42%) claim they simply don’t have a reason to go outside and 21 per cent are bored of their local walks around their home, so don’t bother going out anymore.
But 42% are planning to try and work outside in their garden when the weather warms up to increase the time they spend in the sun.
And almost half (46%) said being outside gives them time to think while 68% use it as an opportunity to exercise.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, found the lack of time outdoors means 33% don’t think they currently get enough vitamin D, while another 23 per cent don’t know if they do or not.
Almost half (48%) of those polled take a supplement to boost their vitamin D levels, with 52% of those starting to take one this winter as they spend more time inside than usual.
Says A spokesperson for Vitabiotics Vitamin D, which commissioned the research:
“Winter always sees the time we spend outside drop off, as the cold, wet and icy weather makes us want to spend more time indoors.
“But this year, as many work from home due to the restrictions, we aren’t even able to spend the time outside we usually would while commuting to and from the office, or getting out and about for our lunch break.
“Worryingly, despite being allowed to exercise outdoors in the local area for a short time each day, many of us are too busy to even do this during work hours, or simply sit in the garden for some fresh air.”
To find out if your lifestyle is giving you the vitamin D you need, take the quiz at https://www.vitabiotics.com/
