A third of Australians experience jet lag-like symptoms associated with using tablets and laptops in the hour before they go to bed, a new study has found.
Social jet lag is the name given to sleepiness which results from breaking natural sleep patterns to wake at least an hour too early to meet social obligations including turning up to work on time.
The new study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found the mismatch between biological sleep times and social hours can result in illness and making errors or falling asleep at work.
They are also more likely to turn up when they should have taken sick leave. The researchers suspect this is because they often felt under the weather from lack of sleep and could not afford to take too many days off work.
The study’s lead author, Robert Adams, a Professor of Medicine from the University of Adelaide said the national survey of 1100 people found a third were forced to get up too early in the morning to fulfil social obligations including work or study.
The study funded by the Sleep Foundation of Australia found that many people with jet lag-like symptoms had used the internet in the hour before going to bed.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
