Can’t figure out why you’re slowly packing on the pounds? Blame your social life,rip 60 sale. Social jet-lag is what happens when you throw off your body’s internal clock because of your social life—like when you go to bed at 11 p.m. on weeknights, but stay at the bar until 3 a.m. on Saturday. And it may be the reason you’re overweight, says a recent report published in the journal Current Biology. Researchers tracked subjects’ sleeping and waking behaviors for 10 years and found that the more your sleep and social schedules conflict, the more likely you are to be overweight. What gives? The research notes that as a result of social jet-lag, people are more likely to smoke, drink, and consume caffeine late into the evening,trx purchase. “When you’re sleep-deprived, your body just isn’t working the way it should,” says Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of . “Not only will your metabolism slow down, but your hormones will become off balance.” Your body slows the production of leptin, the hormone that tells you to stop eating,x factor fitness. Meanwhile, ghrelin—a hunger-inducing hormone—goes through the roof, Breus explains,weider x factor st. How can you reverse this cycle? Follow Breus’s quick tips for getting back on track. Get Disciplined “The main issue here is people don’t make sleep a priority,” says Breus. Your move? Set a bedtime and stick to it, he explains. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a social life (or that you have to be asleep at 8 p.m.),trx suspension sale, but it gives you something to shoot for. Example: Rather than closing down the bars on Saturday, aim to be in bed by 1:30 a.m. Or instead of staying up until 1 a.m. just to catch that rerun of Family Guy, call it a night at 11. (For more simple tricks, follow these .) Reset Your Body Clock Here’s a reason to throw open those curtains: Seeing sunlight in the morning triggers a chemical reaction in your brain that wakes you up, says Breus. Soak up at least 15 minutes of rays at the start of your day to reset your internal biological clock (called your circadian rhythm). Exercise can also reset your circadian rhythm, but it needs to be done in the evening so it helps tire you out, says Breus. And make sure to keep the workout moderately easy, as too intense of a workout in the evening can keep you up. (And if you need help finding the right balance, check out our piece on how to score .) Keep it Consistent “The anchor to all circadian rhythms is the wake-up time, so stick to a regular schedule,” says Breus. Even if you were out until 2 a.m. the night before, avoid sleeping in until noon. How much leeway can you take with oversleeping? Breus says about 45 minutes past your normal wake-up time. More from MensHealth.com: America s health insurance plans - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS MRI MRS Combo Can Improve Early Detection Of Breast Cancer