https://doi.org/10.24552/00002195 ©青森県立保健大学
Link between social jet lag caused by “weekend catch-up sleep”, sleep debt,
subjective symptoms, and lifestyle habits
Terumi Kogawa1） and Mitsuko Iwabuchi2）
1 ）Aomori University of Health and Welfare
2 ）Iwate Medical University
（Recieved January 12, 2022; Accepted May 2, 2022）
ABSTRACT
［Objective］In recent years, an increasing number of children have been complaining of physical prob-
lems as a consequence of spending after-school time at home on television, games. However, the way
children spend their time after school, their sleep habits, and their physical symptoms have not yet been
clarified. In the present study, we aimed to determine health education measures that could help maintain
good sleeping habits and improve physical and mental health by examining the association between sleep
status and subjective symptoms in middle school students.
［Methods］A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, which was filled out by the
middle school students themselves, with seeking their parents for help as necessary. The study subjects
consisted of 1,013 students who agreed to participate in the study and had no missing values. We ana-
lyzed the relationship between how middle school students spend time after school until the next day,
sleep debt, social jet lag
（SJL）, and subjective symptoms.
［Results］There was a difference between boys and girls in the time spent after school, with boys spend-
ing more time playing games and girls spending more time doing homework. Many girls had sleep debt
and SJL. Subjective symptoms were associated with sleep debt in both boys and girls. Gaming and home-
work influenced SJL in both boys and girls. Sleep debt was associated with subjective symptoms even
after adjusting for the time spent after school until the next day.
［Conclusions］The different ways in which time was spent at home after school suggested an association
with sleeping habits. It also suggested a relationship between sleep and subjective symptoms. Therefore,
as health education for middle school students, it is necessary to convey that the way of spending time
after school until the next day, including sleep habits, is related to subjective symptoms.
Key words: sleep debt, social jet lag, physical and mental symptoms, gaming, homework