Snooze and you’ll lose..
Asleep expert has warned sleeping too much can cause an effect known as “social jet lag”. Dr Guy Meadows AKA The Sleep Doctor also highlighted the dangers of sleep deprivation, particularly when getting behind the wheel.
When asked how someone could determine the quality of their sleep cycle or the amount of sleep they need to function, he told the Irish Mirror: “The easiest way to know that is to realise how long you need to wake up feeling refreshed.
“So, it might be challenging.”
However, explaining the effects of over sleeping, he revealed: “That is what we call social jet lag.
“So basically when you sleep longer than you biologically need to, you disrupt your internal timing and it causes an effect similar to jet lag.
“So it causes you to feel groggy and nauseous and foggy. So that is why it is about getting the right amount but it can
be tricky to find what that is. About 80% of the population need about seven or eight hours. So if you aim for seven to eight, you are going to be in that ballpark.
“You might need a little bit more, or a little bit less, but aim for seven to eight and aim to improve the quality of your sleep instead of the quantity.”
Dr Meadows also warned losing out on sleep can create dangers to society.
He said: “Sleep deprivation is not great for us.
“You know in the short-term it impacts our ability to be focused, to be attentive, to recall memory and it affects our mood.
“We become moody and irrational etc and it becomes harder to communicate.
“So yes, we want to be able to sleep, to be able to do all those things. It only becomes