How to Combat Social Jet Lag

Although I’ve been accused of romanticizing the lifestyles of indigenous peoples, my dream remains to wake up every day at dawn and to tuck myself in at dusk.

For now though, I face the very ordinary challenge of balancing a job and family with my health; or more precisely, minimizing the way personal obligations interfere with my circadian rhythm.

Circadian disruptions — whether from shift work under artificial lights, frequent jet lag, or poor sleep hygiene (inconsistent bedtimes) — open the door to every category of disease. It weakens your immune system while increasing the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer.  

Just this weekend, I had to go to an NBA game that started at 8 pm, while the sun had already set at 6:26 pm. Rather than root for the home team, I prayed for the refs to stop calling fouls so the game clock would just keep running. Meanwhile, during every timeout, event staff activated rotating spotlights that blinded me at regular intervals.  

To add insult to circadian injury, this Saturday night game also coincided with the switch to Daylight Savings Time. Although the game ended mercifully during the 10 o’clock hour, in reality it finished close to midnight.

Social jet lag — different sleep schedules on weekdays vs. weekends — is a key driver of health problems. A 2017 study with almost 2,000 participants found that regular social jet lag of greater than two hours doubles the risk of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, the well-documented increase in heart attacks, strokes, and other health complications around the transition to Daylight Savings Time reveals the damage done by even a one-hour sleep shift once per year.

With an eye toward balancing personal commitments and structured sleep, I’ve identified three steps health-conscious individuals can take to reduce the damage from social jet lag.

Sleep Anchor Method

The Sleep Anchor Method allows you to have some flexibility with bedtime as long as you keep your wakeup time consistent. It’s literally a painful wakeup call, but you’re imposing stability onto your sleep/wake schedule. You can turbocharge results by stumbling outside as soon as you wake up to get at least 20 minutes of natural light on your eyes.

Sun exposure

Studies show people can offset the impact of artificial light at night with significant daytime sun exposure. Bright light during the day desensitizes the pineal gland to light at night so that its production of melatonin remains steady in the evening.

High intensity exercise

While circadian dysfunction triggers metabolic problems, you can neutralize these effects with high intensity interval training — which improves glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and cortisol levels. In one study on this topic, HIIT was defined as sessions consisting of 8–12 sets of 60 second intervals at 100% of peak power output. 

There is one other approach that exceeds even the impact of these different tactics, and also remains my favorite. When the day is over, shut off the light and go to sleep.