Are Early Mornings Causing Social Jet Lag?

Getting up in the morning when it’s still dark outside and the infernal alarm is beeping away is more like a nightmare than the perfect way to start the day.

It can leave you feeling groggy, unable to concentrate and resisting the urge to hit that snooze button all week.

Now, scientists in Melbourne, Australia have put a name to that feeling you get when you’re woken up artificially before the sun has risen – social jet lag.

That’s right, with an official term attached to it, we can tackle that slightly discombobulated state of mind that is a result of fighting our natural body clocks.

Social jet lag occurs due to the hormones in your body and how they are regulated by the natural environment.

For example, levels of melatonin, which helps you to sleep, are naturally supressed as the sun rises, but if you get up prior to this, you have to push back against it.

Add to this the fact that cortisol levels, which make you feel energised, aren’t boosted until sunrise and you’ve got a double whammy on your hands.

As well as making it harder to get through the day, you could also find there are some more long-term issues associated with such hormone imbalances.

They include heart disease, stroke, diabetes and depression, making the need to act sooner rather than later quite clear.

A number of strategies can be employed to counteract the negative effects and you may wish to try a combination of them to get the best results for you.

Try to avoid drinking caffeine-laden drinks or alcohol late in the day, as these prevent you from getting a good natural sleep throughout the night and could exacerbate the problem.

With a lack of vitamin D from natural sunlight, you may wish to boost it from other sources and while supplements are one idea, there is a better one.

A hearty breakfast containing eggs or other vitamin D-rich ingredients will up your intake, while also setting you up for the day.

It should give your brain the energy it needs to function properly and counteract the grogginess.

And finally, there’s always technology to help. Invest in an alarm clock that slowly gets lighter, mimicking the brightening morning sun.

It will be much less annoying than the usual beep beep beep, we can assure you!