“Social jet lag” is a term that describes what happens when people go to sleep and wake up later on weekends than they do during the week. A new study assesses the impact of social jet lag on overall health.

Share on Pinterest New research suggests that going to bed and waking up later on weekends than weekdays may have negative health consequences.

The new research was published in an abstract supplement of the academic journal Sleep.

Previous studies have suggested that social jet lag may have negative health consequences. Some have linked it to obesity, while others have suggested that social jet lag may raise the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The new research – led by senior author Michael A. Grandner, Ph.D., director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson – examined data from 984 adults aged between 22 and 60 years. The results were also presented at SLEEP 2017, which is the 31st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, held in Boston, MA.

The data for the study were collected as part of the Sleep and Healthy Activity, Diet, Environment, and Socialization study, which is a community-based survey of more than 1,000 adults.

Dr. Grandner and colleagues evaluated social jet lag using the Sleep Timing Questionnaire, and they calculated it by subtracting the weekday sleep midpoint from the weekend one.

The researchers also assessed insomnia using the Insomnia Severity Index and accounted for additional factors that may have influenced the results, including age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, employment status, income, and sleep duration.

The participants reported their overall health using a standardized scale, choosing from the options “Excellent,” “Good,” or “Fair/Poor.”

Using additional standardized scales, Dr. Grandner and team also checked for depression, fatigue, sleepiness, and a history of cardiovascular disease.