We know that not enough sleep can harm your health. However, a study has shown that irregular sleep can also have harmful effects. The authors of this research aimed to warn fans of sleeping in on weekends.
Watch out for irregularities between nights of sleep
In 2019, Public Health France published the results of a study on the sleep of the French. She revealed that 18-75 year olds sleep 6h45 per night during the week on average and 7.12 a.m. on weekends and days off. The authors of the study also claimed that more than a third of French people (35.9%) sleep less than 6 hours per night. Remember, however, that insufficient sleep can be harmful to health by promoting the onset of diseases such as diabetes and overweight. On the other hand, sleeping too much is also not without consequences in certain circumstances.
A University of Arizona study published in 2017 was indeed interested in people trying to compensate for short nights during the week by lazy mornings during the weekend. The researchers conducted their study on 984 adults whose age was between 22 and 60 years old. These volunteers answered various questions relating to their general state of health and their sleeping habits. Considering these data, the study authors concluded that irregular sleep durations may have an effect of “social jetlag” on the body. This term relates to sleeping longer on weekends and other rest days in an attempt to compensate for shorter nights during the week.
What health risks ?
This social jetlag could have adverse health effects. Scientists have mentioned a 11% increased risk about the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. It is also a question of changes in the rhythm of drowsiness which would be a source of stress for the body, as much as the psychological effects of a round trip Paris-New York in a weekend.
Furthermore, a excessive irregularity between weekday and weekend sleep durations can promote irritability, fatigue and lack of concentration. In the longer term, individuals may experience metabolic disorders and suffer from depression.
Finally, the study insists on the fact that sleeping too much on the weekend is not the problem, but that it is the irregularities in the duration of sleep between the nights of the week and those of the weekend which can be harmful. .