Another Pleasure to Feel Guilty About

(Image from Doctor Oz)

The day I entered college to the day we had our first child---a span of 15 years---was the period when our freedom was at its maximum (though we didn't appreciate that fact at the time). Our jobs often demanded 60 hours a week, but we were free to leave those jobs if we didn't like the time-money tradeoff; besides, we could sleep in on Sundays and even some Saturdays.

Now scientists say that shortened sleep during the week, then catching up during weekends, is harmful to health (h/t Sarah Hoyt, via Instapundit) [bold added]:

447 people’s sleep patterns were tracked using sleep monitors attached to their wrists...participants' sleep patterns changed over the weekend, with many of the subjects staying up later and sleeping for longer. Worryingly, the researchers found an apparent correlation between this shift in sleeping pattern and the appearance of markers of detrimental health effects. The more dramatic the weekend shift was, the more likely the subject was to show lower levels of “good” cholesterol and higher amounts of triglycerides (other fatty substances) in their blood – precursors to heart disease in the long term.

Our younger selves thought that life was a series of sprints, and we could rest up in between. We should have treated it as a marathon.