Irregular sleep schedules increase the risk metabolic problems

About 85 percent of these volunteers enjoy their sleep longer when they do not have work while the others cut their sleep shorter during their off days.

The participants were asked to wear a wristband that recorded their sleep and movement 24 hours a day for an entire week.

Sleeping in on weekend or day off after a long week of work feels good, but a new study warns that it may be unhealthy. All the participants were healthy and balanced and worked part or full-time day jobs outside the home for a minimum 25 hours per week.

Shift work – people with irregular work hours or who work something other than day hours – has been shown in previous studies to have a detrimental effect on health.

The researchers found that subjects who had a greater shift between their sleep schedules on working and non-working days – known as “social jet lag” – were more likely to have poor cholesterol levels, larger waist circumference, higher body mass index (BMI), higher fasting insulin levels and greater insulin resistance, compared with those who had less social jet lag. As reported by WebMD, a new research suggests that when routine sleep habits are disrupted, the risk for heart disease and diabetes rises.

Researchers also took blood samples and used questionnaires to gather data on the participants’ exercise and diet habits.

Scientists have agreed that shift workers are more prone to developing metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease than people with regular daytime shifts. New research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh shows, however, social jetlag as basic as getting up late may also be bad for health.

“This is the first study to expand upon that work and demonstrate that even among healthy, working adults who experience a less extreme range of mismatches in their sleep program, social jetlag can bring about metabolic problems”, said Patricia Wong, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, in a press release. For instance, while your body may be prepared to go to sleep at midnight every night, your social schedule might require you to go to sleep much later after going out with friends – or even earlier, if you share a bed with a partner.

“If future studies replicate what we found here, then we may need to consider as a society how modern work and social obligations are affecting our sleep and health”, Wong said.

This association existed even after researchers had adjusted for other confounding variables such as physical activity and calorie intake. “These metabolic changes can contribute to the development of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease”.

Also, she concluded by saying that clinical interventions, workplace education and families being aware of this issue could help people deciding on how to structure their schedules. The study findings were published November 18 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.