Sleepiness tends to reduce the desire to interact socially, especially in the evenings and on weekends, according to a new study from Sweden.
- Having social interactions in the late morning or early afternoon leads to more sleepiness while in the evening they reduce sleepiness and shorten the night.
- Lack of sleep strongly impairs interactions since these are reduced by 70% when you are sleepy.
Getting good quality sleep is essential for good health. According to a study by Swedish researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, sleeping well is also an effect on our desire for social interaction. The researchers published their results on August 17 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
70% less social interaction when sleepy
The results of the study showed that sleep influences social interactions and vice versa. The results showed that having social interactions in the late morning or early afternoon leads to more sleepiness. However, socializing in the evening reduces drowsiness but also shortens the night’s sleep. Lack of sleep strongly impairs interactions since these are reduced by 70% when you are sleepy. This is particularly true in the evening and on weekends, the times most conducive to socializing.
The researchers studied 641 volunteer and professionally active adults. They asked each of them to write down their sleep and social activity habits in a diary every 30 minutes for three weeks. These results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing daytime sleepiness would be a good way to improve the social life and therefore the morale of people who are prone to it.
Daytime sleepiness is dangerous. Indeed, beyond reducing social interactions, it drastically increases the risk of dementia. Previous studies have also linked it to Alzheimer’s, as has sleep apnea.
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