As you sip your Monday morning coffee ahead of a new week, you might be reading this article all disoriented and not particularly in the best of moods. 

Sleep experts are now suggesting that, following a weekend of late nights, people may be experiencing ‘social jet lag’ which could be induced through inconsistent sleep schedules which could impact people the same way lack of sleep does. 

According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, around half of US adults experience some social jet lag. 

This term refers to the mismatch between a person’s biological time, which is determined by the roughly 24-hour cycles of the body clock known as circadian rhythms, and their social clock.

The social clock is determined by a person’s obligations, ranging from work to school and other social activities. Like travel jet-lag, social jet lag hits when there is a circadian misalignment between the body and the environment. 

Unlike airline jet lag however, which is temporary, social jet lag can be chronic and cause less obvious symptoms. This is measured by calculating the difference in time between the midpoint of sleep on work days and off days. 

There have been higher risks of depression, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems associated with it, as well as unhealthy eating habits and poorer academic performance. 

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