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‘Social jetlag’ raises risk for metabolic disease in healthy adults
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Changes in sleep habits between workdays and non-workdays — referred to as “social jetlag” — can have a significant effect on the risk for metabolic disease, even in healthy adults who do not engage in shift work, according to research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“Social jetlag refers to the mismatch between an individual’s biological circadian rhythm and their socially imposed sleep schedules,” Patricia M. Wong, MS, a PhD student in the department of psychology at University of Pittsburgh, said in a press release. “Other researchers have found that social jetlag relates to obesity and some indicators of cardiovascular function. However, this is the first study to extend upon that work and show that even among healthy, working adults who experience a less extreme range of mismatches in their sleep schedules, social jetlag can contribute to metabolic problems.”
Patricia Wong
Wong and colleagues analyzed data from 447 healthy adults recruited between 2008 and 2011 for the Adult Health and Behavior Project phase 2, a study of psychosocial factors and preclinical vascular disease. Participants were aged 30 to 54 years and worked part time (at least 25 hours) or full-time day shifts (mean age, 43 years; 53% women; 83% white). Researchers measured metabolic variables, including lipid profile, glucose and insulin levels and homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) estimate. Participants completed the Composite Scale of Morningness to assess chronotype, with scores ranging from 13 (extreme eveningness) to 55 (extreme morningness); scores were multiplied by –1, so a high valued indicated greater eveningness. Participants wore an Actiwatch wrist accelerometer (Philips Electronics) for 7 days to assess movement differences between workdays and non-workdays (free days) and completed questionnaires about diet and exercise habits. Researchers defined social jetlag as the absolute difference between the midpoints of sleep on free days vs. workdays.
Within the cohort, 84.8% had a later midsleep on free days vs. workdays, indicating a circadian phase advance in sleep timing when transitioning from free days to workdays; 15.2% of participants had an earlier midsleep on free days. Researchers found that greater social jetlag was associated with greater fasting insulin, insulin resistance, waist circumference and BMI after adjustment for sleep characteristics, demographic variables, health behaviors and depressive symptoms.
Resting heart rate and blood pressure were not significantly related to chronotype or social jetlag, according to researchers.
“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 in a press release. “There could be benefits to clinical interventions focused on circadian disturbances, workplace education to help employees and their families make informed decisions about structuring their schedules, and policies to encourage employers to consider these issues.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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