“Social jet lag” is a term that describes what happens when people sleep and wake up later on weekends than they do during the week. Now, studies have shown the negative impact of social jet lag on your overall health.
Published in an abstract supplement of the academic journal Sleep, it’s suggested that social jet lag is not only linked to obesity but also raises the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The new research, led by the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, examined data from 984 adults between 22 and 60 years.
The study revealed associations between social jet lag and worse mood, sleepiness and fatigue, as well as poorer overall health.
More specifically, with each hour of social jet lag, the researchers found an 11.1 percent increase in the likelihood of developing heart disease.
Lead author Sierra B. Forbush says of the findings: “These results indicate that sleep regularity, beyond sleep duration alone, plays a significant role in our health. This suggests that a regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple, and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart disease as well as many other health problems.”
