As we rejoice at the return (finally!) of Love Island, our pleasure is bittersweet.
Sure, we get the communal joy of all watching (and live-tweeting) the same show as one, and debating who is truly the most attractive of the obscenely attractive people, questioning how those underboob-displaying bikinis stay in place, and ticking off mentions of people’s types on paper.
But this comes with a not-so-fun side helping of bleary eyes, exhaustion, and a major dip in productivity.
That’s all down to the regular showtime – every night (apart from Saturdays, when you get a best bits episode instead) at 9pm, for an hour. Sometimes longer, if the drama won’t fit within that slot.
To night owls, this will seem like no biggie. But for those of us who work earlier shifts and have long stuck to a strict bedtime, the arrival of Love Island can cause some major disruptions.
It’s not a simple as a one-hour delay to our snoozing schedules. Even if you usually hit the hay at 10pm, you’ll still experience the Love Island effect, with all the excitement of a late-night show night in, night out causing a dip in your sleep quality (and even creeping into your dreams).
After consecutive nights of watching Love Island, you might start to notice an impact.
‘Less sleep will of course lead to poor productivity and could lead to poorer mental and physical health,’ explain the experts at SleepSeeker.
‘There is really no-telling how long-lasting the impact of Love Island could be. The effects could go into autumn.’
‘Watching something quite exciting, fun and racy can switch your mind into high gear and make it harder to fall asleep,’ confirms Dr Tim Bond, a sleep expert from PureEssentiel. ‘The time you fall asleep gets pushed back and your ability to sleep well may be undermined.
‘In short, viewing later in the evening especially when content is racy can lead to sleep loss, poor sleep quality and daytime tiredness.’
There’s the immediately-obvious impact – weariness, a desperate need for caffeine, and struggling to think straight – but if you’re disrupting your sleep night after night for months, there could be serious outcomes.
‘People sleeping less than six hours a night are more prone to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes,’ says Dr Tim. ‘Mental health suffers with poor sleep and can result in depression as well as affecting relationships. Good sleep helps to maintain good immune function.’
So… it’s not good news. But what can we do about it?
The obvious answer is to simply watch Love Island on catch-up the next day at an earlier time – but that would mean missing out on the online live-chats and having to avoid spoilers in your waking hours.
If you don’t mind those downsides, this is an ideal option, allowing you to get a good amount of high-quality sleep with plenty of wind-down time before you go to bed.
Your other option is to adjust your sleep schedule, if you can. If you’re freelance or have a super flexible job, try shifting forward your working hours so you get some extra hours in bed in the morning.
Dr Tim notes that it’s not really possible to ‘catch up’ on sleep at the weekends, explaining that consistency is vital.
‘Keeping a regular sleep schedule, including the weekends, helps to maintain the internal body clock and can help you fall asleep at the same time each day,’ he says. ‘Going to bed very late one night and getting up late on the weekend does not encourage a regular quality night’s sleep.
‘Research shows irregular sleep is linked with fewer hours of sleep, daytime sleepiness, irregular sleep and waking through the night and fatigue. It can also encourage heart problems, high cholesterol and obesity.’
Perhaps the key is to focus on making sure the sleep you do get in the summer of Love Island is of the best quality possible.
To do that, it’s important to have some wind-down time between watching Love Island and attempting to drift off.
‘The key is to give your mind and eyes the necessary break needed before going to sleep,’ say the SleepSeeker experts. ‘The drama and excitement could disrupt your sleep, so it is important to have a little bit of time to relax and unwind before going to bed.
‘You could try reading a book or some breathing exercises to help you unwind.
‘It doesn’t have to be long, 20/30 minutes should be enough to help you sleep.’
This will mean that even if your bedtime has shifted an hour and twenty minutes, you’re more likely to actually be able to slip into sleep, rather than tossing and turning.
But if this still isn’t sorting you out, we’re sorry to say that the obvious answer is the right one. If Love Island is messing with your sleep enough to negatively impact your life, giving you a tiredness that no latte can fix, it might be time to skip some episodes.
‘Sleep is absolutely crucial to your wellbeing, so you should not sacrifice sleep in favour of catching the latest drama,’ say the SleepSeeker team.
‘While it may be difficult, if you find your sleep is taking a hit because of Love Island you should consider watching it the next day at an earlier time.
‘Alternatively, you may just have to accept that your sleep will be affected whilst watching Love Island and make sure you give your body the time it needs to recharge and recover from all of the drama.’
Get to bed, and perhaps mute ‘#LoveIsland’ on Twitter until you can rush home from work and stick on the TV.
No spoilers, please, we’re sleeping.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Source: Read Full Article