Barely back from vacation, many feel exhausted despite the (average) three weeks of rest they’ve just had. So who’s to blame? Answers with sleep experts.
As some go through the start of the new school year in joy and happiness, others experience this return to reality away from the beach, Spritz and sneakers hurt. Morning lethargy, jaw-dropping yawns, feeling jet-lagged, uncontrollable cramping, zero motivation… How do you explain such a state of exhaustion when you’ve just returned from vacation, a grace period for toes?
A broken schedule
You just need to do a mini-survey around you to understand that the phenomenon is more common than you think. It is also completely normal, reassures the chronologist Damien Daven. With the return to work, our bodies have to adjust to a very different schedule than summer (hello, waking up at 6:30). “This change is disturbing because it causes desynchronization of biological rhythms,” explains the specialist. We go from a fairly natural sleep/wake rhythm, where we wake up and go to sleep as we please, to another rhythm bound by a specific schedule.
Behind the scenes, our organs then have to redouble their efforts to adapt to this new pace. A very “energetic” process, according to the chronobiologist, which can cause drowsiness, digestive disorders, lack of concentration, muscle fatigue…
Added to that was the familiar little belly bump. We pass from a period of rest and relaxation to another, more dynamic one, which generally causes stress. And how we manage it will accentuate or not our tired state. “At the beginning of the academic year, we inevitably face a more intense workload. It’s a bad reflex to want to process everything, e-mails and urgent files from the first day,” emphasizes psychiatrist Sylvie Royant-Parola, president of the Morpheus Network. “This pressure can go so far as to cause insomnia and therefore daytime sleepiness,” warns Damien Daven.
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Night owls and travelers at the crossroads
In practice, some people are more affected than others by this tidal wave. “According to our chronology, which is written in our genes, we all have a preferred sleep schedule. Those who are used to sleeping very late, after 1 am, are more likely to wake up at dawn,” says psychiatrist Sylvie Royant-Parola.
Summer visitors from abroad are also feeling the pinch. “When you move from one time zone to another, you desynchronize your internal clock, one of the functions of which is to allow the body to alternate periods of activity and rest, from sunrise to sunset, with the sun,” says Dr. Silvey. Royant-Parola.
And the longer the return trip, the longer the transition will take upon arrival to mitigate the effects of this jet lag. This is especially true when traveling from the Eastern time zone to the Western time zone, says chronology biologist Damien Daven, because it’s easier to delay bedtime than to move it forward.
good habits
Except for exceptional cases, post-return fatigue is temporary, experts assure. According to them, for the most part, after two weeks, everything returns to its normal course. On one condition. adopt good sleep hygiene (regular bedtime and wake times, even on weekends), daily physical activity (ideally in the morning to take advantage of the light), a balanced diet free of stimulants in the evening, e.g. alcohol and coffee, as well as a ban on screens at least one hour before bedtime. In short, it’s time to tell arrived At Spritz.
On the other hand, if this exhaustion persists, it would be wise to discuss it with a healthcare professional. “Seasonal depressions are more and more common in autumn,” says chronologist Damien Daven.
Source: Le Figaro
