Isn't the thought of weekends itself blissful? A few glasses of wine, a few extra episodes of Game of Thrones or House of Cards, sleeping till noon... just perfect right? Well, not exactly. According to experts, sleeping more during the weekends can leave you feeling exhausted through the week. It can give you what is called 'social jet lag'.
The tiredness caused by this, is similar to that caused by travelling to different time zones and hence the term social jet lag. We all plan out weekdays very carefully. We avoid heading to the pub after work, limit ourselves to having just one drink, avoid that one last cup of joe and head to bed at a designated bed time. But come the weekend, these routines go for a toss.
The changing sleep pattern can affect our mood, energy levels and increase our risk of heart disease. According to a study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it also increases your chance of being obese. People sticking to the same schedule on weekends as on the weekdays are more likely to be healthy, happy people, the study reveals.
“Typically, we tend to sleep more over the weekends, as our bodies are sleep deprived during the week. So first, your weekday sleep schedule needs to be corrected, or else, it will end up being a vicious circle. A delay of 30 minutes in your weekend schedule is fine but not more than that. You may reenergise yourself with an afternoon nap on the weekends, but make sure that it doesn't go beyond 30 minutes. Irregular sleep cycles may reduce your homeostatic drive or your urge to sleep the next day and increase insulin resistance, resulting in weight gain. With the compounded affects of alcohol, the effects of an altered sleep pattern over the weekend would be severe,” explains Dr Preeti Devnani, Clinical Director, Sleep Disorders Clinic, Mumbai.
So, as you unwind over the weekend, try not to go overboard with the snooze button. If you must refresh yourself, take a short, 30-minute nap. Don't go overboard with alcohol and caffeinated drinks like sodas and coffee, either.
