Are You Suffering From Social Jet Lag?

While the biggest weekend health concern for most of us is managing a hangover, there’s another less obvious risk you might be overlooking. The discrepancy between your weekday schedule and your weekend one can disrupt your biological clock, predisposing you to future health issues if you’re not careful.

It’s no secret that sleeplessness can wreak all kinds of havoc on our bodies, from random weight gain to depression, but researchers now believe it’s not only the duration but the regularity of sleep that significantly affects our health.

Even if you’re a strict bed-by-10:30 person Monday to Thursday, if you’re staying up late Friday and Saturday and lying in until the following afternoon, you’re probably suffering from social jet lag — so named because it affects your internal clock similarly to when you travel from one time zone to another.

A team of researchers from the University of Arizona discovered that disrupting your regular sleep schedule in this way does more than just make Monday suck. It can cause an 11% increase in the likelihood of suffering from heart disease at some point.

“This suggests that a regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple, and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart disease as well as many other health problems,” said lead author Sierra B. Forbush.

While never having a late one is frankly unrealistic, try to avoid doing it over two consecutive nights. It turns out getting proper ZZZs is about the most important thing you can do for your health, so safeguard those hours.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.