Techie says he is battling ‘WFH fatigue and dizziness’: ‘Zero focus despite 9 hrs of sleep... is this normal?’

A Reddit post describing the physical and mental strain of working from home has gone viral online after an employee spoke about dealing with exhaustion, dizziness, poor concentration and low motivation despite getting adequate sleep every night.

The discussion began on the Reddit community Reddit r/developersIndia, where the user detailed life inside a work setup with no windows, little sunlight and minimal social interaction.

In the post titled, “WFH is tanking my energy levels. Always dizzy, zero focus, and working in a windowless room. Is this normal?”, the employee explained how remote work had gradually started affecting daily productivity and overall health over the past few months.

The employee said that although they sleep for nearly eight to nine hours each night, waking up refreshed had become increasingly difficult. According to the post, energy levels and focus had steadily declined, making it harder to stay productive and motivated during work hours.

“I’m naturally a social person and new to these long WFH shifts. For the past 2 months, my energy levels have completely tanked. I feel dizzy and groggy every morning, even after getting a solid 8-9 hours of sleep. I can't seem to hit my peak focus, and my enthusiasm is just gone,” the person wrote.

“The Room: This might be the biggest issue—my room has absolutely no windows due to a shared wall with the neighbor. Just a door. I get zero natural sunlight during the day,” the post read.

The employee also reflected on how work habits had changed with the increasing use of AI tools such as Claude and Cursor.

“I generally wake up around 9:30 - 9:45 AM, and my standup starts right after at 10:15 - 10:30 AM. I mostly work using Claude/Cursor now. Because the AI handles a lot, I’m missing that feeling of "intense" development. We only really get on calls if someone is stuck. Even when I try to upskill, I get bored after a couple of lectures,” the user explained.

In an effort to improve health and regain focus, the Redditor said they had recently started going to the gym. However, symptoms such as dizziness and lack of concentration reportedly continued throughout the day.

“I recently started hitting the gym to try and get some energy back, but the dizziness and lack of focus throughout the day are still a major problem. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of extreme WFH fatigue and dizziness?” the employee asked.

The user also questioned whether prolonged time indoors without sunlight could be linked to Vitamin D or iron deficiency.

Following the viral post, several Reddit users shared similar experiences and advised lifestyle changes, medical tests and better daily routines. Many argued that working from home itself may not necessarily be the problem, but rather limited movement, isolation and poor exposure to sunlight.

One user commented, “WFH is actually an energy saver bro. No commute is such a plus point. Join a gym if u can and keep a check on your diet and vitamin level. It will be good. See if you can change your room to something with window and sunlight.”

Another wrote, “Get your vitamins d and b12 checked.”

Some users focused on lifestyle adjustments instead of relying only on medical solutions. One Redditor suggested, “Wake up early and walk in the sun for at least 15 minutes everyday before hitting the gym. Eat normally and try to take breaks after every 30 minutes and go for a walk in your house for 5 minutes. Try to sleep for at least 7 hours.”

Others said they had faced similar struggles while working remotely.

“Same problem here. Although I haven’t gotten my vitamin levels checked yet, I’d highly recommend doing that. I also started following a morning routine, waking up early, going for a jog, and getting some fresh air and morning sunlight. Combined with a proper diet, it’s actually been really helpful for me,” another user shared.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content shared on social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)