Why we fret about health on Mondays

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Published May 12, 2014

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London - If you’re worried you might have overindulged at the weekend, you are not alone.

Scientists have discovered that Monday is the day when we fret most about our health.

They found health-related Google searches peak on the first working day of the week, with Tuesday scoring almost as high.

But as the week wears on, we lose interest in medical matters, according to US psychologists.

The San Diego State University team analysed Google searches related to health on every day between 2005 and 2012. Thirty percent more were made on Mondays and Tuesdays than in the rest of the week combined.

The researchers said the results tally with evidence that blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and infectious diseases all peak early in the week.

They added that Mondays could be akin to a ‘mini New Year’s day’, where the weekend’s excesses result in a greater demand for information on medical matters.

‘Poor health choices during the weekend may promote a desire to cleanse come Monday,’ they wrote in a report.

‘Health promotion campaigns could immediately be made more cost effective by targeting the population early in the week.’

Numerous other pieces of research have suggested heart attack rates spike on a Monday. A ten-year study in Scotland found cardiac deaths peak then before hitting a low on Tuesday.

Weekend binge-drinking, coupled with the stress of going back to work, is thought to put the heart under added strain.

Other studies meanwhile, suggest Wednesday is the gloomiest day – possibly because it is the furthest from the weekend. - Daily Mail

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