While weekends are highly anticipated by almost everyone, Mondays get the opposite treatment. These days are looked at with much trepidation, unwelcomed by the general population. Why, though? Is it because you need to be back at school or office by Monday? Is it because you have to go back to your daily routine of getting up early, battling stress the whole day, and going home tired and dreading the next day?
Why are Mondays so Bad?
What a lot of people really hate about Mondays is the groggy feeling they get on these days. A lot of people literally feel awful on Mondays, making this horrible physical feeling associated with the day and worsening its reputation. This makes Mondays truly horrible for some people, as they actually find it hard to function on these days.
If you’re wondering what makes Mondays feel awful, you should trace it back to how you slept on the weekend. Most folks tend to go to bed late on Fridays and sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. Some even take long naps in between, thinking that all those zzz’s can help them pay off the sleep debt they’ve incurred during the week. Most end up having difficulties falling asleep on Sunday night, leaving them needing more zzz’s by Monday morning.
Those who spend their weekends doing this may mean well, but the execution is definitely lacking and will make your Mondays horrible. Sleeping late on the weekends can easily mess up your sleep pattern. Taking long naps on weekends is also a big no-no. It doesn’t matter if you just want to catch up on sleep, as this won’t let you do that. If you’re sleep deprived during the week, you can’t pay it off by sleeping in or taking 2 hour “naps” on Saturdays and Sundays as the body doesn’t work that way.
Doing these will only get your inner body clock out of whack, leaving you with less sleep on Monday. This explains your grogginess and lack of energy on the first day back at the office, making completing tasks a lot more challenging and stressful. Because your body has been used to sleeping until late in the morning from the past few days, disrupting the pattern to get to the office or school on time for your shift or classes means disturbing your sleep. This leaves your body wanting for more rest and zzz’s.
Preparing for Mondays
How do you make Mondays better, though? Again, you should pay attention to your weekend sleep for this. If you regularly doze off at 10 pm on weekdays, you should continue to do so on the weekends, regardless of what you have in store for the weekend. Doing this will ensure that your Circadian rhythm is maintained and that your body is continuously functioning according to schedule. Also stick to your regular wake up time on the weekends and limit your naps to 60 minutes at the most before 3 pm, so you won’t affect your night time slumber on a good Englander mattress like the following evening.
You might be thinking that weekends are for doing whatever you want, and you’re right. It’s entirely your choice to stay in bed on Saturday mornings, especially if you have an extra cozy Beautyrest mattress to lay down in. You might want to stick around the bedroom until lunch time and your chores or friends need some attending to. You can still do all that without having to sleep in, though.
You can still stay in bed til late in the morning and maybe even have a nice and social media worthy breakfast in bed on the weekends even if you wake up at the same time you do on weekdays. It might even be a better option as you can also do a few things you’ve been meaning to do during the week. Like finish that book you’re reading or look up a few DIY projects that you can try at home over the weekend.
The most important thing is that you get to stick with your Circadian rhythm. This way, you can ensure that you won’t have a hard time getting out of bed and functioning properly on Monday. Imagine if you’re already wide awake the moment you step into the office on your first day back after the weekend. You’re sure to be able to handle any backlogged tasks without breaking a sweat. You’re sure to handle stress flawlessly if you’re not groggy and emotionally compromised on a Monday.
While it can be difficult to change how you spend your weekends, trying it out will definitely be worth the hassle. A small lifestyle change like getting out of bed on your regular wake up time has a great ripple effect that can easily improve your health and sleep hygiene, so why not give it a try? Mondays might not be as bad as you think if you just give it a chance.