Summer often brings changes to our daily schedules: later nights, delayed mealtimes and different waking hours. At ZEM, we understand how these shifts in routine during the summer can influence our biological rhythms and contribute to what is known as social jet lag, a mismatch between the body’s internal clock and the schedule we follow in everyday life.
Unlike the jet lag associated with travelling, there is no need to cross time zones to experience it. Repeated changes to our usual sleeping, eating or activity patterns can be enough to disrupt the body’s natural rhythm.
The body follows its own rhythm
Our bodies operate according to circadian rhythms, approximately 24-hour cycles that help regulate processes including sleep, body temperature, hormone release and metabolism.
Natural light is one of their most important regulators, but it is not the only one. The times at which we sleep, eat, exercise and begin our daily activities also provide the body with important signals.
When holidays disrupt our sleep routine
Longer days, later dinners and greater flexibility are all part of summer. However, when our schedules shift considerably from one day to the next, the body can begin to lose its usual points of reference.
The effects of this circadian disruption are not always experienced as obvious tiredness. They may appear as:
- Difficulty waking up or a sense of unrestorative sleep.
- Reduced mental clarity and cognitive fatigue.
- Changes in appetite and heavier digestion.
- Difficulty re-establishing a regular sleep routine at the end of the holidays.
Even sleeping for longer does not necessarily mean feeling better. The quality and regularity of sleep, together with allowing the body to move naturally through its different restorative phases, are key to overall wellbeing.
"Having dinner late on a regular basis can disrupt the circadian rhythm, particularly if bedtime is also pushed back. In addition, a heavy meal eaten too close to bedtime can make digestion more difficult, increase the likelihood of reflux and affect sleep quality. For this reason, it is important to consider not only what we eat, but also when we eat, and, whenever possible, to allow around two to three hours between dinner and going to bed"
Towards a more stable rhythm
Returning to routine after the summer does not need to involve an abrupt change.
Gradually bringing bedtime and waking times forward, reintroducing greater consistency into mealtimes, spending time in natural light during the morning and maintaining regular physical activity can all help the body establish a more stable rhythm.
It can also be beneficial to reduce stimulation during the final hours of the day. Meditation, conscious breathing and moments of calm can help create a gradual transition between activity and rest.
