So society needs jet lag: in winter, we "suffer" more

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• THE STUDIO
Researchers measured jet lag by monitoring Twitter interactions throughout the day and throughout the year, in 1,500 counties in the United States (spread across just over 3,000 counties), over the years. 2012 and 2013. In total, about 240,000 people were tagged in the tweets. According to the data, the distribution of activities on this social network corresponds to the sleeping habits reported in other surveys. This study shows that Twitter is also a valuable platform for badyzing sleep-related behaviors.

• JET LAG, BETWEEN SCHOOL AND WORK
Thus, a shift was made in the front part of the bed at the weekend compared to the days of the week: this change in the week confirms the presence of a jet lag, due to social commitments. The magnitude of this phenomenon varies by geographic region – in the United States, the west coast is lower – and depending on the season: it is higher in winter, especially in February, and attenuated in summer, especially in June and July . This means that in the summer, the times when we get up and go to bed are more or less regular during the week, while in other seasons, especially in the winter, we tend to move the clock and change more our lifestyle. sleep by the pressure of commitments.

In particular, note the authors, the summer is characterized, on the calendar, by the interruption of schools in summer, an element that pushes students (and parents, especially young children) to follow more their natural rhythms this season. During the year, we tend to get up early on school days and then change our schedules during the weekends. The work also has a similar effect, since in many cases today we are immersed in a culture of 24-hour availability, as the authors remind us, for which he also works at usually devoted times. at rest.

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• CIRCADIAN RITMO AND HEALTH
But it is not just a problem of clock or fatigue. According to previous evidence, in fact, social jet lag has been badociated with some health problems. For example, some research – such as Parsons and his colleagues on nature – highlights an increased risk of metabolic change and obesity. Even today 's study confirms this risk, as the social jet lag of Twitter is linked to a higher incidence of obesity. Not to mention that a phase shift in sleep rhythms can adversely affect cognitive performance, especially when jet lag is very pronounced, as for "owl" types (the chronotype is a physiological feature that indicates the timing of the day the person is older). active), so that a chronic sleep debt often accumulates during the work week.