New research has found that going to bed and waking up later on the weekends could lead to unhealthy changes to your gut bacteria, as well as being linked to having a poorer diet overall. The study digs into the physical effects of social jet lag – the term used to describe a more subtle form of travel jet lag that describes a shift in waking/sleeping hours on the weekend, compared to your weekday schedule – and it's not good news for those who love a Sunday lie-in.
We already know that shift work is linked to all kinds of health problems, but this study digs into far less dramatic sleep adjustments, and habits that are much more widespread. It's common to have a weekend lie-in, and/or use an alarm clock to wake yourself up earlier than you perhaps would naturally on working days. In fact, it has been estimated that around 40% of the UK population has a different weekend sleep pattern compared to weekdays.
