Monday blues may actually be social jet lag

London: If you struggle to get out of bed on Monday mornings, you may be suffering from social jet lag, scientists say.

According to them, sleeping in at the weekend can leave us too tired for the start of the working week, with many remaining groggy until Wednesday. The immediate effects include poorer memory and reaction times, which would explain that familiar Monday morning feeling of sluggishness. Research has shown that over time, repeated changes in sleep patterns can also make you fatter and more likely to turn to cigarettes and caffeine. “The weekend sleep in is just the process by which people shift their clocks later - it wouldn’t be a problem except for that rude awakening on monday morning when all of a sudden we need to shift earlier,” the Daily Mail quoted lead researcher Helen Burgess as saying. The phrase ‘social jet-lag’ was coined by German researcher Till Roenneberg who has shown that the phenomenon can take a hefty toll on health, by raising the odds of drinking, smoking and relying on caffeinated drinks. While travel-induced jet lag is something most of us only endure occasionally, social jet-lag can make itself felt every week. ANI