It can be easy to hit the snooze button on a Saturday morning after a late night out with friends, but it also might make you feel like you’ve just gotten off a flight from a few time zones away.
The term “social jet lag” has been gaining popularity in medical literature to explain a clinical phenomenon in which a person’s shifting sleep schedule leads to the same effects associated with jet lag. This often includes sleep issues, feeling fatigued, mood changes, and general malaise.
“Social jet lag can affect anybody in the general population, but it’s especially prevalent among adolescents,” says sleep specialist Jessica Camacho, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
For some, varying work schedules that disrupt consistent bedtimes may cause sleep disturbances. For others, it might be a packed social calendar on the weekend that leads them to stay up much later than they would during the week. Whatever the reason, Camacho explains that it can be helpful to keep a uniform sleep schedule, even on days that don’t call for an early bedtime, to optimize restfulness and avoid the symptoms that may have lasting impact on overall health.
What is social jet lag?
The circadian misalignment at the core of social jet lag can be caused by several factors, but it almost always leads to chronic sleep debt, which can in turn lead to fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and trouble falling asleep.
“We’re just starting to really understand social jet lag and how it might play a role in many aspects of our health,” Camacho says. “In addition to common sleep symptoms, we know it can impact daytime functioning, like academic performance. It also can lead to mood disturbance and poor mental health outcomes.”
Some research even points to cardiovascular and metabolic implications that may be associated with social jet lag.
“There’s possibly more to it than just disturbed sleep and daytime grogginess,” Camacho says.
Managing social schedules and sleep
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each night for adults. For teens, the magic number is between eight and 10 hours of sleep. Younger children need even more sleep, somewhere between nine and 14 hours, depending on age.
“There are a lot of demands of teenage and adolescent life, so many of these kids are not getting that recommended amount of sleep – which is why we end up seeing social jet lag pop up in these age ranges,” Camacho says. “The homework, extracurricular activities, and social demands add up.”
Teenagers also experience a shift in circadian rhythm to a more delayed sleep-wake cycle, making it even more difficult to adhere to a schedule that aligns with societal norms.
“Kids who normally get up at, say, 6 a.m. to get to school on time are going to really struggle to get their bodies to want to sleep early enough to get enough sleep for that schedule,” Camacho continues.
This can be true for people at other ages, too. Some people tolerate circadian shifts quite well, and others may be more sensitive to them. People who identify as “night owls” tend to have a delayed sleep-wake schedule that makes them more vulnerable to the effects of social jet lag because they have more trouble initiating sleep earlier.
“This is an important factor, because avoiding social jet lag takes a lot of willpower and discipline,” Camacho says.
Routines to the rescue
Keeping sleep schedules the same throughout the week and weekend can help prevent the symptoms of social jet lag.
“For some this might mean missing out on an important social activity, but it’s all about weighing the pros and cons,” Camacho says. “I generally tell patients that I want them to have fun and experience social activities, but try to think about how many time zones you would be crossing by staying up later than normal.”
Flying from Denver to the East Coast can cause a few days of fatigue and other jet lag symptoms. “Imagine that you’re doing that week after week,” Camacho says.
Instead, she advises those sensitive to circadian shifts to opt for social activities earlier in the day and only vary bedtime by about an hour or so.
“In the long term, this really pays off. There will be some fear of missing out, but the reward of sleeping better and feeling better will reward itself,” Camacho says. “People are up against a lot in their daily lives, so if making these changes doesn’t help, it’s also worth talking to a professional to see what else might be going on.”
