The nation’s favourite show, Love Island launched yesterday evening. It’s the second series of the show’s Winter series, which means we get to watch two seasons in the space of a year. Entertainment-wise, this is brilliant – but it turns out our sleep might be paying the price.
The show starts at 9pm, six times a week, for eight weeks. A normal episode is usually an hour, but on elimination days they can be a bit longer. Meaning if your bedtime is at 10pm, this all goes out of the window for two months. Dedication much?
“Love Island will certainly be having an effect on many people’s sleeping schedules, with lots of us forced to move our bedtime back an hour in order to fit in the communal watching. But this could come at a cost. Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge,” Hayley Thistleton, a sleep expert at SleepSeeker says.
And missing out on sleep as we all know is not good for your general health. “When you don’t get enough sleep, it can impair your cognitive ability and increase your risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and poor mental health,” Thistleton adds.
“Less sleep will of course also lead to poor productivity the next day and there is really no telling how long the impact of Love Island could be. As the show airs for 8 weeks, consistent sleep loss for this time period could see effects lasting well into the autumn.”
Thistleton says we could catch up on sleep at the weekends, but that could leave you feeling lethargic, as good sleep relies on consistency. |“Another solution could be a mid-afternoon nap, but unfortunately, this will almost certainly zap any chances of productivity too.”
“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.”
But, you don’t have to completely sacrifice sleep for the show. The experts at SleepSeeker have given us some tips on getting 8 hours of sleep without missing out on an episode.