You suffer from social jet lag and you don’t know it –

In pre-pandemic times, it was common for you to keep a sleep routine on weekdays, and “compensate” on the weekend – that is, sleeping late on Friday and Saturday and also waking up late on Saturday and Sunday. And if you still maintain this habit today, know: maybe you are having a negative impact on your body.

called from social jet lag According to sleep scientists, this condition is characterized by a delay in your body’s natural sleep clock – which occurs precisely when you sleep later to socialize and also wake up later to compensate for this lack of sleep.

Just as going from São Paulo to Mato Grosso results in a one-hour jet lag, changing your sleep schedule, even on purpose, can generate the same effects as a trip of this size. Basically, you mess with your circadian cycle, that is, your body’s ability to regulate bodily functions according to the sun’s cycle.

In the long run, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the effects of purposefully changing your sleep schedules and “messing up” your biological clock might be. However, a study published in 2015 in the International Journal of Obesity found a relationship between social jet lag and obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The research evaluated the health of 800 people who had large differences in sleep patterns between free and work days, and the conclusion was that living against the grain of the biological clock can contribute to metabolic dysfunctions.

Another study, published in the journal Sleep, revealed that every hour or more of social jet lag is associated with an 11% increase in the odds of developing it. heart problems. Not only that, but the issue is also associated with poorer health and worse mood, as well as increased drowsiness and feelings of tiredness.

How do I know I have social jet lag – and how do I treat it?

It sounds strange, but it’s possible to calculate your own social jet lag simply and by considering peak times of deep sleep. For example, for a person who sleeps on weekdays from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am, the midpoint of sleep is at 3:00 am (ie, half of an eight-hour night of sleep). If that same person sleeps from 1:00 am to 11:00 am on weekends, that midpoint would be 6:00 am. The difference from one point to another represents 3 hours of jet lag.

And, believe me, the main solution is one of those simple ones, but difficult to accept: try to sleep and always wake up at the same time. “Instead of sleeping and waking up at times that are out of sync with your internal clock and switching between two sleep routines, one for the weekdays and one for the weekends, try to maintain a healthy and consistent sleep routine”, explained to CNN North America the doctor Raj Dasguptaprofessor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.

This, of course, sounds easier in theory than in practice, but studies show that it is possible. See some tips below:

prepare the your room okay: have warm lamps to turn on after the sun goes down and have comfortable sheets and pillows on the bed;
Do sleep hygiene: that is, try to stay away from screens, such as computers and television, for an hour before going to bed;
have a physical exercise routine: physical activity expends energy and improves sleep quality;
Take advantage of sunlight: during the day, try to spend as much time as possible in close proximity to sunlight, keep windows open, make appointments during the day or take short walks in lunch time. Contact with the sun helps to regulate the circadian cycle;
Avoid caffeine after 3pm: the afternoon coffee it can continue as part of the routine, but it is best that it ends by 3 pm, to prevent caffeine from influencing sleep.