Social jet lag: why sleeping in on weekends can backfire
Staying up late Saturday and sleeping in Sunday can make Monday feel like jet lag. Here is what social jet lag is and how to keep your schedule steady.
If you are still up at midnight on a Saturday, you are in good company. The catch is that a late Saturday and a long Sunday morning can make Monday feel rough, and sleep experts have a name for it: social jet lag.
Social jet lag is the gap between when you sleep on workdays and when you sleep on days off. As a Baptist Health sleep physician puts it, that irregular pattern affects your body much like jet lag after travel. In the short term, it is linked to poorer judgment, mood changes, slower thinking and a higher risk of accidents. Over longer periods, research has tied irregular sleep to problems including obesity, diabetes, depression and heart disease.
The main fix is consistency. Baptist Health and the National Sleep Foundation recommend keeping your bedtime and wake time about the same every day, weekends included. If you do sleep in, keep it modest rather than shifting your whole schedule by several hours.
A few habits make that easier. Get natural light soon after you wake up. Keep naps short and before 3 p.m. Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol near bedtime, and avoid heavy food or drink right before bed. Keep the bedroom quiet, dark and comfortable, and leave screens outside of it when you can.
If you often feel tired no matter how much you sleep, that is worth raising with a doctor.
For tonight, the useful step is small: set a Sunday alarm within about an hour of your usual weekday wake time. Monday morning will thank you.
Sources
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