Monday mornings and accidents

Monday. It is the first day of the week. For many people, it is the start of another week of work or school. What a drag. In contrast to Friday (TGIF), Monday is not exactly the most favorite of week days.

Even statistics shows some figures peculiar to Monday.

Accidents at home and at work seem to peak on Monday mornings. Studies by Swiss researchers showed that accidents in the work place are most frequent on Monday morning. British statistics also show high rates of domestic accidents on Monday mornings, based on insurance claims data.

So what makes Monday mornings such a dangerous period of time? Here is the main reason: Change of routine.

Routine change. People have a different routine on the weekends. Late nights and sleep ins. No work and lots of play. Weekend mode, so to speak. Monday marks the start of going back to the old routine. However, it takes some time for the human body to switch back to working mode. Research compared the change that the body experiences on Monday morning as a mild jetlag.

Time change. Switching from summer to winter time (or daylight savings to standard time) and vice versa occurs on a Sunday. This is a major adjustment to the human body with effects on sleep routine, appetite and heart health. Research has shown that it takes several days till the body xxx. Monday mornings after time change are especially difficult for everybody, equivalent to a major jetlag.

Weekend travels and holidays. People travel on weekends, be it for a short break or a long Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend. The happenings on those weekends can have a major effect on your physical and mental state on the Monday after.

Examples of common accidents on Monday mornings (source: UK’s National Accident Helpline):

• fires started with hair straighteners
• letting baths overflow
• spilling drinks onto laptops

According to UK’s National Accident Helpline:

Claims data on accidents in the home over the last three years has revealed that a third more domestic accidents happen on Monday mornings compared to any other day of the week.

Accidents are more prevalent on Mondays because more people are recovering from a weekend of staying up later and often of drinking much more heavily than they would do during the week, according to statistics released by Halifax.

Psychologist Glenn Wilson adds:

“Mondays are marked by low performance and inattentiveness as the body and brain struggle to recover.”

So now you know what is wrong with Mondays. Now you have to ways to make it better. Mine is to start the week with an early Monday morning run.

Popular quotes about Monday:

“It’s another manic Monday.” – popular song

“Sometimes it pays to stay in bed in Monday, rather than spending the rest of the week debugging Monday‘s code”

Dan Salomon quotes

“Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your life.”
— Steven Wright

Other versions: Monday is lame way to spend 1/7 of your life