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Social jetlag impairs balance control
Guilherme Silva Umemura1, João Pedro Pinho1, Bruno da Silva Brandão Gonçalves2
1Biomechatronics Laboratory, Department of Mechatronics. Escola Politécnica, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|June 22, 2018
Summary
Social jetlag, a common sleep disturbance, negatively impacts postural control. Weekend recovery sleep improves balance, suggesting reduced sleep debt enhances brain function for better posture.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Social jetlag, the discrepancy between sleep timing on workdays and free days, is a prevalent issue.
- Understanding its effects on motor control is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of social jetlag on postural control in healthy adults.
- To determine if weekend sleep recovery mitigates these effects.
Main Methods:
- Thirty healthy subjects underwent wrist actimetry for nine days to record sleep habits.
- Mid Sleep Phase (MSP) was calculated to quantify social jetlag.
- Postural control was assessed using four tests on Friday and Monday.
- Sleep questionnaires provided additional data on sleep conditions.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in sleep variables were observed between workdays and free days.
- Postural control performance was notably better on Monday compared to Friday.
- This improvement correlated with reduced social jetlag and potentially lower sleep debt.
Conclusions:
- Social jetlag appears to impair brain regions essential for postural control, including the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum.
- Adequate sleep during free days can reverse some negative impacts on balance and posture.
- Mitigating social jetlag may be important for maintaining optimal motor function.
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