Sleeping in on the Weekend Is Actually Bad for You

Few things are better than flopping into bed on Friday night without having to set your alarm for the next day. After all, the beautiful American freedom to wake up whenever the hell we want on the weekend is practically the only morsel of hope we can cling to throughout the long work week. But despite how damn good it feels, getting more sleep than you normally do on some days could be bad for your health, according to a new research.

A study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggests that scoring extra sleep on the weekend could put you at greater risk of developing metabolic health issues such as heart disease and diabetes, according to a report by The New York Times. Previously, experts have warned of the negative health effects from shift work with erratic hours, and now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found that so-called "social jetlag," or differences in the amount of sleep you get on workdays versus days off, is linked to things like higher body mass index (BMI), larger waist size, bad cholesterol, and higher insulin levels. Well shit, you guys.

“Social jetlag refers to the mismatch between an individual’s biological circadian rhythm and their socially imposed sleep schedules," Patricia M. Wong, MS, of the 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 schedule, social jetlag can contribute to metabolic problems. These metabolic changes can contribute to the development of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

Similarly, you can also blame waking up early for work on Monday -- not just sleeping in late on the weekend -- for messing up your sleep cycle so much.

Out of the 447 men and women whose sleep patterns and health were examined in the study, nearly 85% went to sleep and woke up later on their days off compared with workdays, per the report. The participants were all between the ages of 30 and 54, worked at least 25 hours per week, and wore wristbands that tracked their movement and sleep for 24 hours a day for seven days. Collectively, they're responsible for ruining your weekend. Forever.

Not the best thing to learn about on a Friday, right?

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist, and despite this information, is seriously looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.