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Social Jet Lag: What Is It And How It Impacts Sleep And Health

If you’re losing sleep due to work or your social life, you could have social jet lag. Learn how sleep patterns create a broken sleep schedule that disrupts your circadian rhythm.

In today’s fast-paced world, balancing our busy lives with quality sleep can be a real challenge. This is where the concept of social jet lag comes into play. Social jet lag is all about the conflict between our body’s natural sleep patterns and the demands of our social lives. Think of it as a broken sleep schedule that happens not because of flying across time zones, but due to our daily routines. 

This mismatch can lead to sleep debt, where you’re not getting enough rest. And that, in turn, can throw off our biological clock, which is like an internal timekeeper, managing everything from when we feel sleepy to when we’re wide awake. 

Whether it’s keeping a consistent sleep schedule or understanding our circadian rhythms, there are plenty of practical ways we can address social jet lag, manage it, and improve our sleep patterns. This is crucial because good sleep is not just about feeling rested — it’s a cornerstone of our overall health and wellbeing.

What is Social Jet Lag?

Social jet lag occurs when there’s a mismatch between your natural circadian rhythms and the demands of your social life or work, leading to irregular sleep patterns. This results in disrupted sleep schedules, often characterized by different wake and sleep times on work days versus free days.

Social jet lag is more than just feeling groggy on a Monday morning. It’s about the consistent mismatch between your body’s natural sleep pattern and the sleep schedule you follow due to social commitments, work (especially shift work), or other commitments. This mismatch affects not just your sleep but your overall sense of wellbeing, from making you feel perpetually tired and cranky, to potentially more serious health impacts.

What Is Sleep Debt, And How Does It Relate To Social Jet Lag?

Sleep debt is like a bank account where you owe hours of rest instead of money. Every time you cut your sleep short, you add to this debt. Over time, the accumulated lack of sleep adds up, and the consequences can span far beyond just normal fatigue.

In some cases, sleep debt occurs because you’re trying to squeeze in social time after work. In other cases, you may spend your weekends out with friends, depriving yourself of sleep, which leads you into Monday morning feeling exhausted. This is the intersection where sleep debt and social jet lag meet.

How Your Circadian Rhythm (Part Of Your Biological Clock) Relates To Social Jet Lag

Your biological clock is crucial for keeping your body running smoothly. And where social jet lag is concerned, it has an impact. Social jet lag does more than just make you feel tired — it can upset your circadian rhythm with potentially significant impacts.

Your circadian rhythm is an internal schedule that tells your body when to sleep, wake up, eat, and more. It responds to light and darkness in your environment, helping to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. But when social jet lag comes into play, your schedule gets all mixed up. Staying up late and sleeping in on weekends can throw your circadian rhythm off track, confusing your body.

The Physical And Mental Health Consequences Of Social Jet Lag

Social jet lag isn’t just a minor inconvenience. It can be a significant issue that could affect many aspects of your health and life. Here are four reasons you should take steps to align your sleep schedule with your body’s natural rhythm. 

Sleep misalignment can leave you tired both day and night

Social jet lag means you might find it hard to fall asleep or wake up when you need to. This can lead to insomnia or excessive sleepiness during the day.

Irregular sleep patterns can lead to low mood and poor concentration

When your sleep cycle is off, it can affect your mood. You might feel more irritable or have trouble focusing on tasks.

Social jet lag can mean an increased risk to your long-term health

Over time, if social jet lag is not addressed, it can increase the risk of serious health conditions like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. This is because consistent, good-quality sleep is essential for your body to function properly.

An out-of-balance biological clock can be detrimental to your wellbeing

When you’re constantly fighting against your natural sleep patterns, it can take a toll on your overall sense of wellbeing. You might feel less energetic and not as ready to tackle your day.

How to beat social jet lag and mindfully get rid of sleep debt in 5 steps

Tackling social jet lag might seem daunting. By introducing some practical changes to your routine, you can realign your sleep schedule, overcome social jet lag and improve your sense of wellbeing. Consistency is key. The more you can align your daily habits with your body’s natural rhythm, the better your sleep and overall health will be.

1. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps your body’s internal clock to get in a rhythm and reduces the impact of social jet lag.

2. Create a relaxing bedtime routine

Practice calming activities before bed, like reading a book or taking a warm bath. This signals to your body that it’s time to wind down and get ready for sleep.

3. Get regular exposure to natural light

Spend time outside during daylight, especially in the morning. Natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythm, making it easier to wake up and feel alert.

4. Try making sure you’re more active during the day

Engage in regular physical activity, but try to avoid intense workouts close to bedtime. Light, calming exercise can help you fall asleep more easily and enjoy deeper sleep, but high-intensity exercise too close to bed can actually keep you awake and alert.

5. Be mindful of your eating and drinking habits

Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime. These can disrupt your sleep patterns and make it harder to get restful sleep.

Social jet lag FAQs

Q: What is an example of social jet lag?

An example of social jet lag is when you have a regular routine during the week, like waking up at 6am for work, but on weekends you stay up late watching movies and don’t get out of bed until noon. This shift in your sleep schedule on weekends compared to weekdays is what we call social jet lag.

Q: How do you treat social jet lag?

To treat social jet lag, try to keep a consistent sleep schedule throughout the whole week, even on weekends. Work on creating a relaxing bedtime routine, get exposure to natural light during the day, stay active, and be mindful of your diet, especially before bedtime. These steps help realign your sleep patterns with your body’s natural clock.

Q: How does it feel to have social jet lag?

Having social jet lag can make you feel constantly tired, even after a full night’s sleep. You might struggle to wake up in the morning and feel sleepy or unfocused during the day. It can feel like you’re always trying to catch up on sleep, but never quite getting there.

Q: What are the negative health consequences of social jet lag?

The negative health consequences of social jet lag can include a range of issues like poor sleep quality, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and reduced productivity. Over time, it can also increase the risk of more serious health problems like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes due to the ongoing disruption of your sleep and biological rhythms.

Q: What is sleep debt?

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get. It accumulates over time if you consistently miss out on the recommended amount of sleep, leading to a feeling of chronic tiredness and potentially other health issues.

Q: Why is having a sleep schedule important?

Having a sleep schedule is important because it helps regulate your body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm. This regulation is crucial for good sleep quality and overall health. A consistent sleep schedule helps your body anticipate when to feel sleepy and when to wake up, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling rested.

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We may collect your personal information when required by law but generally we collect personal information from you (or about you) to allow us to:

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Personal information collected or received by us will only be used for the stated purpose for which it was provided.

When you access the Veteran Benefits Australia Services, we may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, your operating system, the type of Internet browser you use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data (Usage Data).

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If personal information is disclosed to a third party, we are required to take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is treated in accordance with the laws that apply to personal information.

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We collect most personal information directly from you when you make an enquiry about our Veteran Benefits Australia Services from us. Your consent may be express (e.g. you agree to the use of your information by ticking a box) or implied by an action you take or do not take (i.e. because you have agreed to terms and conditions that contain information about the use or disclosure of your information).   At the date of this policy, your consent is given when you register your interest in a service, sign up for our newsletter or complete our contact us registration form.

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You are not obligated to provide us with your personal information. You may choose whether you receive communications from us. Whilst it is your choice not to provide your personal information to us this may impede our ability to provide you with all of the functionality of our Veteran Benefits Australia Services.

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Should you wish to remove yourself from our contact database you may do so at any time by contacting us at www.veteranbenefitsaustralia.com/contact-us/

How can I access, correct and/or update personal information you have collected?

At any time you may contact our Privacy Officer and request your personal information be modified. We will make all efforts to correct data once we have proved your identity.

We will deal with all requests for access to personal information as quickly as possible, but no later than 30 calendar days from the date of your request (unless any complexities arise).

We will refuse access where the personal information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those proceedings. Further, we will refuse access where your request is frivolous or vexatious, and where we reasonably believe that: giving access would pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual, or to public health or public safety; unlawful activity, or misconduct of a serious nature, is being or may be engaged in against Veteran Benefits Australia and giving access would be likely to prejudice the taking of appropriate action in relation to that matter.

If we refuse to give you access we will provide you with reasons for our refusal, unless doing so would be unreasonable in the circumstances. We will also take reasonable steps to give you access in a way that meets your needs without giving rise to the reasons of our refusal. Further, we will provide details of how you may make a complaint about our decision.

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How do we store and protect your personal information?

For us to provide excellent service we are required to store some personal information and take the greatest of care to ensure this information is treated as private and confidential. Transmitting personal data via the internet does have inherent risks associated with it. We will however take all reasonable steps to ensure the security of this data. Note that no information transmitted over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we will endeavour to protect your personal information as best as possible we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us, or receive from us. The transmission and exchange of information is carried out at your own risk.

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We have taken the necessary measures to ensure the personal information (including the financial information about yourself) we hold is not compromised. In accordance with and as permitted by applicable law and regulations we will retain your information as long necessary to serve you, to maintain your Veteran Benefits Australia registration or as otherwise need to operate our business.

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We have obligations to notify you if you are affected by an data breach. We will take all reasonable precautions to take remedial action to prevent such an event. However, as we cannot guarantee that remedial action will be sufficient to prevent all instances of a breach, we will take steps to notify you of an eligible data breach as soon as practicable and provide recommendations as to what steps you should take to mitigate any serious loss or damage.

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These are the terms and conditions of Veteran Benefits Australia. All advices, referrals and other services provided by Veteran Benefits Australia (“Services”) whether via its website at www.veteranbenefitsaustralia.com (“Website”) or by contacting Veteran Benefits Australia in any other manner, are provided on these Terms & Conditions and all customers of Veteran Benefits Australia’s Services (each a “Customer”) agree to these Terms & Conditions as a pre-condition of obtaining any Services from Veteran Benefits Australia. No terms and conditions introduced by the Customer shall take effect to vary these Terms & Conditions unless expressly agreed in writing by Veteran Benefits Australia.

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Whilst all care is taken to connect Customers with suitable, qualified and appropriate Service Providers based on the Customer’s instructions as to their needs, Veteran Benefits Australia does not endorse the advices of any Service Provider and expressly disclaims any liability for any products and services provided by Service Providers. Customers are encouraged to consider if the products and services of the Service Provider are suitable for the Customer’s needs and seek independent advice if required.

Veteran Benefits Australia will not conduct any assessments of the Customer’s needs and any recommendation that Veteran Benefits Australia makes for use of any Service Provider including for the making of any social security application, health care or other services is purely based on Veteran Benefits Australia’s response to the Customer’s request and their own assessment of their needs and circumstances.

Donations, merchandise and paid goods and services

From time to time Veteran Benefits Australia may offer the ability to make a donation or purchase goods or services including merchandise through its Website. The terms of donation or purchase will be in accordance with the online check-out terms and conditions appearing on check-out of the transaction.

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The purpose of the following is to inform you about the provision of social worker services by Medilinks Australia Online Pty Ltd t/as VBA Health (“us”, “we” “VBA Health”) and for you to consent to receive social worker services from us and to our management of your personal information.

Part A

Social Worker Services

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Social worker services include the following supports:

Part B

Management of Health and Medical Information

Collection of Personal Information

As part of providing social worker services to you, we need to collect and record personal information from you that is relevant to your situation, such as your name, contact information, medical history and other relevant information. This collection of personal information will be a necessary part of the services that are provided.

Viewing Your Accepted Conditions

The following steps will help view the accepted conditions of your DVA white card via the MyGov website.

Step 1:

Go to https://my.gov.au

Sign in to your myGov account using your Username and Password.

You can sign in to myGov using the following:

  • Your username (Your myGov username has 2 letters and 6 numbers. For example XY123456)
  • Your email address used to create your account
  • Your mobile number (if you have enabled this option)

After entering your login details you may be required to provide a one-time access code.

  • A one-time use code is sent by SMS to your mobile phone.

If you do not have a myGov account, you can create one by selecting Create myGov account on the myGov sign-in page.

Sign-in using the MyGov login page

Step 2:

Once you have logged into your account scroll down until you see the heading ‘Your Services’.

Your Services lists the government programs you access that offer online services through myGov. You should see ‘Department of Veteran Affairs’ listed here.

Select ‘Department of Veteran Affairs’.

If you do not see Department of Veteran Affairs listed you will have to link this service to your account (See the video below).

You can do this by selecting Link another service.

Select the DVA tile

Step 3:

This is your Department of Veterans’ Affairs My Service Home Page.

My Service allows you to access DVA services online such as:

  • Access support for a service-related condition or injury
  • Access your digital DVA Veteran Card
  • Lodge and track the status of your claims

Look in the middle column titled Claims.

Select Accepted Conditions.

Select Accepted Conditions from the Claims Menu

Step 4:

This page shows your digital DVA Veteran Card.

You will see information such as your Card NumberExpiryCard Type and the Conditions listed on your card.

Select the Conditions Listed drop-down menu to view the conditions listed on your card.

Step 5:

Select Print this Page in the top right-hand corner of the page to download your digital DVA Card as a PDF.

Alternatively, if accessing this on your mobile phone you can take a screenshot of this page. Depending on your phone you can:

  • Press the Side button and the Volume up button at the same time (iPhone)
  • Press the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time

 

Video on how to log on and link my service: