Healthy adults who wake up on Monday earlier than they do on weekends are at higher risk of diabetes and heart disease, a new study shows. Their disrupted sleep schedule promotes metabolic changes that significantly contribute to the development of health risks.

Waking up early for work during the week creates a mismatch between the circadian rhythm and the socially imposed sleep schedule of an individual - what researchers call “social jetlag.” Earlier studies show that shifting schedules contribute to metabolic changes by disrupting the circadian system.

Shift workers are at higher risk of developing the metabolic risks, coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, compared to employees working on regular daytime shifts. Even less extreme range of mismatches in the sleep schedule can contribute to metabolic problems, the new study, published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggests.

The findings come from an analysis of sleep patterns and cardiometabolic risk of 447 men and women. The volunteers, aged between 30 and 54, were working at least 25 hours each week.

Participants wore a wristband that recorded their movement and sleep for 24 hours a day for one week. Researchers then assessed their diet and exercise habits through questionnaires.

Results show that about 85 per cent of participants had a later halfway point in their sleep cycle, or mid sleep, on their free days than on workdays, while 15 per cent experienced an earlier mid sleep on free days.

Those with greater misalignment in their sleep schedules between free and work days are at higher risk of metabolic problems. These participants were found to have poorer cholesterol profiles, higher fasting insulin levels, larger waist circumferences, higher body-mass index and more resistance to insulin compared to those with less social jetlag.

The link remains even after the researchers take into account health behaviours, such as physical activity and calorie intake.

These findings could help experts provide clinical interventions focused on circadian disturbances and help employees and families make decisions about structuring their schedules, says researcher Patricia Wong from the University of Pittsburgh. She added that the study may also help develop new policies to encourage employers to consider these issues.

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