Imagine this: It’s Friday. You’re finally just a few hours away from another weekend. Time to rest and enjoy the company of your friends. You start making plans about who to see and when. Saturday for a coffee and then a drink with the company. Sunday brunch with your girlfriends and no movies later. The mood is high…

And then you come crashing down, when you wake up on Saturday morning and feel like you’ve been run over by a truck. Your body hurts everywhere, you feel even sleepier, even though you slept enough and, in general, there is one word that characterizes you: Exhaustion!

Any plan that involves you having to get dressed and go out just makes you tired just thinking about it. But why does this happen to you on your days off? Why are you full of energy on weekdays and on the weekend are your batteries drained?

Jade Wu, PhD, behavioral sleep medicine specialist, explains to Well and Good that the “weekend fatigue” it often comes from your sleep habits during the work week. Chronic weekend fatigue may signal a need to reevaluate some of your sleep practices.

Dr. Wu identifies common weekday behaviors that often lead to weekend burnout and suggests simple solutions so you can get rid of it and finally be able to truly enjoy your days off:

4 causes of weekend burnout and how to deal with them

  • The overload of the working week: When your week consists of a flurry of tasks, obligations, and tight deadlines, it can take a toll on your body, putting it in a constant state of overdrive. This human reaction is based on the survival instinct and does not discriminate between real danger and work stress. “After a week of crisis, the body finally relaxes on the weekends, suddenly releasing all the fatigue it has accumulated”, explains dr. Wu. Mental exhaustion from constant screen exposure and tasks can also contribute to this phenomenon. “Historically, before social media, before screens, we had a lot of time to let our minds wander. This served as a reset for our brain, something we no longer have. It makes sense that by the weekend, we’re so exhausted from the stimulation of screens, decisions, planning, strategy, and learning that we’re simply not able to think of one more thing.”says the expert.

Solution: To avoid burnout, ask for help from your colleagues at work and loved ones at home. Set clear boundaries so that work does not invade your personal life. Also, practice relaxation techniques, such as breathing or meditation, and limit the time you spend in front of the screen, especially before bed, to improve the quality of your rest.

  • You sleep little on weekdays: Sleeping less than you need during the work week means that you are essentially “stealing” sleep from yourself and at some point you will have to pay it back. This is the concept of sleep debt, which accumulates every time you lack sleep. When you finally have a few hours left, your body will try to pay off this debt, leaving you feeling sleepier than usual. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to fully cover the sleep debt you build up with a day or two of extra sleep. Also, according to Dr. Wu, sleeping more on your days off can actually make you feel even more tired. “It’s kind of ironic because you think that’s how you’re going to make up for lost sleep. The circadian rhythm, however, likes to be stable. So when you change your sleep schedule, you disrupt him and he returns it to you with a feeling of tiredness”explains the expert.

Solution: Sleep is vital, so be consistent with your sleep schedule throughout the week. Avoid sacrificing sleep for late-night activities and establish a relaxing bedtime routine that will help you sleep longer and more deeply.

  • Are you experiencing social jet lag: To understand what this means, think of yourself on a Saturday night out with friends for drinks. You have a good time, stay up late, come home in the morning. To rest, you sleep until noon on Sunday. You wake up feeling tired, have a few unproductive hours into the evening, and then can’t get back to sleep, which affects your sleep schedule as the new week begins. These changes due to the different weekend schedule disrupt your circadian rhythm, leading to a feeling of exhaustion.

Solution: If you want to sleep more on the weekend, make sure that this extra sleep is no more than 1-2 hours, so that you can maintain a relatively stable sleep schedule.

  • You experience fatigue not related to sleep: Fatigue can also be caused by other factors, such as dehydration, inactivity or poor diet, especially if you neglect your wellness habits on the weekends.

Solution: Make sure you “listen” to your body’s needs. Make sure to hydrate, move regularly and eat well to avoid feeling tired, which prevents you from enjoying your weekend.