What is social jet lag?
Social jet lag is the misalignment between your biological sleep need and your socially imposed schedule, especially the weekly weekend-vs-weekday shift. It mimics the effects of actual jet lag chronically.
How it is measured
Researchers calculate the difference in midpoint of sleep between work nights and free nights. A 2-hour difference = 2 hours of social jet lag.
Health impact
Studies link higher social jet lag to obesity, cardiovascular risk, depression, and lower performance. The effect is graded — more lag, more risk.
Solution
Stable wake time 7 days a week. If you cannot match it to your chronotype perfectly, get morning bright light to help your body adapt.
Sources
- Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep (Scribner, 2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
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