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This is the kind of jet lag you can suffer without getting on a plane
Changing our sleep schedules during the weekend can make us feel more tired, make us drowsy, or lead to obesity.
You look at the clock and it’s already past midnight. It is Sunday and, although you want to fall asleep as soon as possible so as not to be very tired on Monday, you are not capable. This is how you start the week off on the wrong foot, exhausted. But … what is this that happens to you? You may be “falling victim” to social jet lag.
To understand this concept, the main thing is to remember that we all have a circadian rhythm. This is in charge of “regulating and controlling our internal system, which is related to light, darkness and the rotation of the earth”, as explained by Dr. Adela Fraile, coordinator of the Sleep Unit at the HM Puerta del Hospital University Hospital. South of Móstoles.
The doctor comments that our body adjusts naturally to this circadian rhythm: «There are experiments in which, people who were totally isolated and did not know if it was day or night, their circadian rhythm fit naturally to 24 hours and 11 minutes ».
It is when we “break” this circadian rhythm that so-called social jet lag occurs. “This is the imbalance in our biological rhythm, which occurs on weekends, when we have different sleep schedules to those we have on weekdays,” explains Dr. Javier Albares, medical director of the Sleep Unit of the Medical Center Teknon of Barcelona.
To calculate our jet lag social, we must look at the difference between our normal hours and those of rest days. Dr. Fraile gives an example: «If a person sleeps during the week from 23:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., the midpoint of sleep is 3:30 a.m. On the weekend, if the person sleeps from 2:00 to 12:00 the midpoint would be 7 in the morning. Therefore his social jet lag would be 3:30 hours ».
Also, the doctor gives the keys to recognize if we suffer from this jet lag: «The common symptoms are heavy digestions, loss of appetite, difficulty in concentration and memory, clumsiness in movements, fatigue, dizziness and irritability ».
This jet lag can have a major effect on our health. “A difference in social jet lag of two hours is the limit from which unhealthy biomarkers begin to be observed,” says Dr. Fraile. By this he means that, with this change in sleep patterns, which consequently affects our eating habits, we may be more likely to suffer. obesity, fatigue, drowsiness, mood disorder, and even heart disease or diabetes.
Surviving the “Christmas Mismatches”
At Christmas time, when we have a variety of dinners, parties, and social commitments, it can sometimes be difficult for us to maintain good sleep hygiene and avoid social jet lag. Although Dr. Albares affirms that, if one day one sleeps less, there is no miracle that will make us feel more rested, he does give some advice to try to reduce the impact of the few hours of sleep. “Ideally, instead of having business dinners, have lunches, and that way the problem would be fixed”, jokes the doctor and continues: “But, if you go to a dinner, it is best not to abuse alcohol, which affects more to the quality of sleep, like it is also better to avoid caffeinated coffees and drinks. It would also be ideal to have a dinner as light as possible ».
Even with these guidelines, the doctor emphasizes the importance of avoiding these sleep disturbances. «It is necessary to become aware that living on time is much healthier, that we are going to find ourselves much better, and we can adapt “, says the expert.
He explains that a social awareness is required, since «in Spain there are very late hours: we eat and dine late, we go to bed very late and, therefore, we sleep less than the rest of Europe ». For her part, Dr. Fraile comments that this awareness is necessary to avoid that, at times like Christmas, we face these sleep imbalances. “As society becomes more aware of the importance of sleep in health, social commitments will be celebrated in a more rational way,” he says.
Even with advice, Dr. Albares is very clear about what we must do to avoid social jet lag: “The only thing that can replace hours of sleep are hours of sleep,” he concludes.