The Monday hangover: Decoding social jetlag

Feeling jetlagged on Mondays even though you haven’t flown across time zones? It’s called social jetlag, where you have to literally drag your sleepy self to work after a weekend of partying or OTT binge. It’s not just your mind refusing to wake up to the grind, it’s also your body telling you it’s not ready for the rigour yet.In this episode, host Srirupa Ray, an Assistant Editor with TOI, explores the science behind the “Monday blues” and the phenomenon of social jetlag — the shift in our internal body clock caused by late-night weekends and screen time. Joining the conversation are two experts: Dr Manvir Bhatia, a senior neurologist and sleep specialist from Delhi, and Rohini Rajeev, a senior psychotherapist from Bengaluru.Together, they delve deep into how digital habits, blue light exposure, and doomscrolling suppress melatonin (sleep hormone) and trigger cortisol (stress hormone), disrupting our circadian rhythm. They outline the extensive toll this takes on health, connecting social jetlag to inflammation, metabolic stress, emotional instability, and cognitive decline. Finally, the experts share practical recovery strategies, emphasising the importance of a gradual transition, digital sunsets, and anchoring a consistent morning wake-up time to realign the body’s internal rhythm.Cherry on the cake? A nutrition power tip by nutritionist Sangeetha Aiyer (https://www.rewriteyourstory.in/).