The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Munich (LMU) and published online May 10 in the journal Current Biology, looked at the weekday and weekend sleep patterns of more than 65,000 people, and found that (surprise!) not only do most people not get the sleep they need, but their sleeping patterns are constantly interrupted. And, according to the researchers, a lifestyle that conflicts with your internal physiological rhythms can promote the development of obesity.
"Our surveys suggest that in Western societies two thirds of the population are burdened with a significant discrepancy between their internal time and the demands imposed by school and work schedules and leisure stress," says LMU chronobiologist Professor Till Roenneberg, giving this phenomenon the name "social jetlag."
"Sleep is frequently the first casualty of our busy schedules and 24-hour society," says Joseph M. Ojile, MD, founder and CEO of Clayton Sleep Institute in St Louis, Mo., who was not involved in the study. "Social jet lag," according to Dr. Ojile, is essentially what happens when you adjust your sleeping schedule to accommodate your lifestyle, and "your body's biological rhythm gets out of sync or out of phase with your daily schedule." It is similar to jet lag, he explains, because both conditions involve circadian rhythm abnormalities (jet lag, of course, occurs when you travel across time zones, upsetting your body's natural sleep pattern).
"Your circadian rhythm," Dr. Ojile explains, "is your body's natural pattern of physiological and behavioral processes that are timed to a near 24-hour period."
According to Ronnenberg's team, for each hour of sleep discrepancy someone experienced, they were 33 percent more likely to have a high body mass index (BMI) -- something that doesn't surprise Dr. Ojile. "When your body lacks the proper amount of sleep, there is an attempt to compensate for the insufficiency in order to maintain adequate functions of wakefulness," he explains. "Consequently, the hormones that suppress your appetite are reduced and those hormones that boost the appetite are increased. Though the relationship between obesity and sleep is complex, weight gain and obesity may be the result of the body's attempt to maintain wakefulness in a state of sleep deprivation."
Think you might be suffering from social jet lag? You're not alone -- according to Yahoo! web trend expert Carolyn Clark, "sleep disorder" is a popular topic searched on Yahoo! (with 81 percent of searches in the past 30 days coming from females), as are searches for "tips to sleep better, ways to get more sleep, tips for undisturbed sleep, and how to sleep better."
Sleeping better -- and cutting back on your social jet lag -- is a good goal. "Sleep health is a vital to your overall health and wellness," says Dr. Ojile, "and ignoring signs and symptoms of 'social jet lag,' for instance, may result in further ailments or even injury."
Just what are the signs and symptoms of social jet lag? According to Dr. Ojile, excessive daytime sleepiness, trouble falling or staying asleep, feeling unrefreshed after a night's sleep, snoring, waking frequently during the night and excessive limb movement at night are all warning signs that you're not getting the sleep you need, when you need it.
Alas, it may not be possible to totally rearrange your work and play schedule to accommodate your sleeping needs every night, but Dr. Ojile offers these tips for improving the sleep you do get:
- As much as possible, stick with a consistent bedtime and wake-up time.
- Avoid excessive time in bed or napping.
- Eliminate pre-sleep habits that invoke hyper-arousal (no more bedtime pillow fights!).
- Avoid caffeine within several hours of bedtime and alcohol at bedtime.
- Reserve your bed for sleep and sex.
- Remove technology from your bedroom: TV, computer, iPad, iPhone, e-readers, etc.
- Exercise in the late afternoon.