A study has suggested that even routine sleep changes like getting up early for work during week could increase the risk of developing metabolic problems, including diabetes and heart disease. It’s known for long that shift work can boost metabolic risk because of the frequent disruption to the circadian system.

Shift workers are more vulnerable to develop coronary heart disease, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes as compared to employees having regular daytime shifts.

In a release, Patricia M. Wong, MS, of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, said, “Social jet lag refers to the mismatch between an individual’s biological circadian rhythm and their socially imposed sleep schedules. Other researchers have found that social jet lag relates to obesity and some indicators of cardiovascular function”.

Patricia M. Wong added this was the first research to extend upon that work and has shown that even in healthy, working adults who go through a less extreme range of mismatches in their sleep timetables, social jet lag can lead to metabolic issues. These metabolic changes can result into development of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

During the study, they examined sleep patterns and cardiometabolic risk in 447 men and women who participated in the Adult Health and Behavior Project Phase 2 study. The participants belonged to the age group of 30- 54 years and worked for around 25 hours per week outside the home.

The participants were given a wristband to wear, which measured their movement and sleep the whole day for a week. Questionnaires were used to assess the diet and exercise habits of the participants.