Here's why you hate Mondays

Scientists have discovered a cure for the dreaded Monday morning blues - stop sleeping in on weekends.

A new study has found that lazy Saturday and Sunday lie-ins can disturb your body clock, leaving you fatigued at the start of the week.

Flinders University sleep expert Leon Lack said people often used the weekend to catch up on sleep lost during the week.

But he told the Australasian Sleep Association Conference in Perth that while this might help pay off a "sleep debt", it came at a cost.

"We've discovered that these sleep-ins are actually putting your body out of whack enough to change your Sunday night bedtime and set you up for Monday blues," Professor Lack told AAP.

His research team tested the theory by tracking 16 people over a weekend, asking them to go to bed a little later than they would on a weeknight but sleeping-in an extra two hours.

By comparing saliva samples and hormone tests he found participants' body clocks had been delayed by 45 minutes.

"That might not sound like a lot but it means that you're not quite as sleepy on Sunday night at the normal bedtime and you'll be much sleepier the next day," Prof Lack said.

Questionnaires completed on Monday and Tuesday showed much higher levels of self-reported fatigue and tiredness compared with pre sleep in days.

This was because the subjects' circadian rhythms - which determine patterns of alertness and tiredness - had been disturbed, creating an effect similar to jet lag.

By mid-week most people manage to get back on track but then they start staying up later, getting into "debt" once again and perpetuating the cycle.

"These days, we're pushing ourselves a lot, particularly during the week and the weekend is our only refuge," Prof Lack said.

The problem, he says, is that this comes at a price.

"It's a bit like paying off a mortgage - you take out a big one and you'll have a lot to pay off later on."

Tags: Miscellaneous, Mondays, Sleep

Related Items:

• 7 tips for efficient sleep
• More sleep would make people happier, healthier and safer
• Sleep
• How to get up earlier
• Getting up when your alarm goes off

Comments / Replies

Add Comment / Reply

This website follows the ideas of the No Nofollow, I Follow, DoFollow, No-NoFollow movement. Leave a helpful comment and you will get a link without NoFollow (U Comment, I Follow).