The Sunday Scaries: What’s Happening in Your Brain and Body?

Sunday afternoon hits and you’ve been having a lovely day so far. Maybe you’re out for lunch, catching up on a few chores or doing absolutely nothing - as you should.

Then you remember… tomorrow’s Monday.

And just like that, the anxiety, restlessness or unease starts to settle in.

The ‘Sunday Scaries’ are more than a catchy name for that end-of-weekend dread. They’re a fascinating example of how closely the brain and body respond to what we expect to happen - not just what’s happening right now.

And it’s a really common feeling; according to 2022 research commissioned by the government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 67% of Britons reported frequently experiencing anxiety on a Sunday.¹

But what’s happening within the body?

What are the Sunday Scaries?

There’s no official medical or scientific diagnosis for the Sunday Scaries. It’s simply a name given to that familiar end-of-weekend feeling, when the thought of Monday starts to trigger anxiety, restlessness, unease or a racing mind.

Scientifically, this can be understood as anticipatory stress: when your brain and body begin responding to something they expect to happen, before it has actually happened.^2,3

Why do you experience the Sunday Scaries?

The Sunday Scaries usually happen because your brain has started shifting out of weekend mode and into workweek mode before the week has actually begun.

On Sunday, Monday’s close enough to feel real. Your brain may start scanning ahead: emails, meetings, deadlines, alarms, decisions, responsibilities or anything unresolved from the week before.

Even if nothing stressful’s happening in the moment, your mind’s already preparing for a different set of demands.

What’s happening inside your body?

It starts with your brain assessing what’s coming.

If Monday’s perceived as stressful or demanding, your brain can begin preparing the body to respond. This is part of your normal stress response, designed to help you meet a challenge rather than simply react once it has already arrived.^2,3

(Photo by iStock of the human brain cerebellum anatomy)

One key system involved is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis: a communication network between the brain and adrenal glands that helps regulate the body’s response to stress.⁴

When the brain detects a potential demand, the hypothalamus signals to the pituitary gland, which then signals to the adrenal glands. This can lead to the release of stress hormones, including cortisol.

Cortisol often gets framed as a “bad” hormone, but that’s not really accurate. In the right context, cortisol helps the body mobilise energy, maintain blood pressure and stay alert when it needs to respond to a challenge.⁴

So if Sunday evening rolls around and you suddenly feel tense, restless or more alert than usual, it may be your body moving into a state of readiness. Monday hasn’t arrived yet, but your brain has already started treating it as something to prepare for.

Read More: How To Support Your Hormones Naturally 

Why does Sunday make it worse?

Part of the answer could be the transition; your weekend and your working week probably look very different.

Alarms, meetings, commutes, emails and a long to-do list can feel like a very different physiological and psychological state to slow mornings, socialising and having more choice over how you spend your time.

So when Sunday evening arrives, your brain’s anticipating a whole shift in what the next few days will demand from you.

And there’s evidence that the body may respond differently to workdays and non-workdays, too.

One example is the cortisol awakening response: the natural rise in cortisol that happens shortly after waking. Research has found this response can be greater on workdays than weekends, and it may be influenced by anticipation of the day ahead.^5,6

That matters because cortisol helps prepare the body for action.

In other words, Sunday can feel worse because it sits right on the edge of that transition. You’re still technically in the weekend, but your brain may already be preparing for the structure, demands and expectations of the working week.

And then there’s sleeping…

There’s another reason the Sunday Scaries can feel particularly frustrating: they can follow you into bed.

You know you need to sleep because Monday’s coming. So naturally, you start thinking about sleep: “I need to be up at 6:30. I can’t be tired tomorrow. Why am I not asleep yet? I’ve only got five hours left to sleep.”

(Photo of a woman lying awake in the early hours of the morning, by iStock) 

But sleep doesn’t respond well to pressure - the more you monitor it, worry about it or try to force it, the harder it can be for the body to move into a state of rest.

This is partly because anticipatory stress can increase arousal. When your mind’s focused on tomorrow’s demands, your body may stay more alert at the exact time you want it to switch off.^2,3

There’s also a bigger issue at play: your weekend sleep schedule may look different to your weekday one.

This shift is sometimes described as “social jet lag” and it refers to the mismatch between your body’s internal clock and the schedule you’re trying to follow.⁷

Even a later bedtime or wake time at the weekend can make Sunday night harder, because your body may suddenly have to move back towards an earlier weekday rhythm.

So the Sunday Scaries is a combination of things; work, the anticipation of what's ahead, shifting back into a different routine and trying to switch your brain off at exactly the moment it has started looking ahead.

The Sunday Scaries and your job

“If you experience the Sunday Scaries, you must hate your job” - that’s not true. You can enjoy what you do, like your colleagues and still feel a pang of dread when Sunday evening rolls around.

Scientifically, this makes sense; work doesn’t have to be negative to be demanding. Even meaningful or enjoyable work can require focus, decision-making, emotional energy, deadlines, structure and responsibility.

Research on recovery from work suggests that psychological detachment (mentally switching off from work during non-work time), is important for recovery.^8,9

So if Sunday starts pulling your attention back towards emails, meetings or the week ahead, your brain may lose some of that recovery space before the weekend’s actually over.

Can drinking alcohol or going out on Saturday night make the Sunday Scaries worse?

For some people, yes. A late night, alcohol or disrupted sleep can make the Sunday Scaries feel more intense.

Alcohol may help you feel sleepy at first, but it can fragment sleep later in the night, leaving you feeling less rested the next day.

Staying out late can also shift your sleep schedule, adding to that “social jet lag” effect when your body has to move back towards a weekday rhythm.

So if Sunday already comes with anticipation about the week ahead, tiredness, poor sleep or that next-day “hangxiety” feeling can make Monday’s demands feel even bigger.

(Photo of a couple outside enjoying a walk by iStock) 

How to make the Sunday Scaries feel less scary

The goal isn’t to make Sunday evening another thing you need to optimise. Instead, give your brain and body a proper chance to switch off from the working week before the next one begins.

1. Stop treating Sunday like Monday Eve

• You don’t have to mentally clock in just because Monday’s getting closer.
• Try to keep work where it belongs for as long as possible; avoid checking your inbox, opening your laptop or scrolling through your calendar “just to see what’s coming”.
• The more you rehearse Monday in your head, the harder it can be to stay in Sunday.

2. Give your brain a clear finish line

• If you know your Monday’s going to be busy, take five minutes before you finish work on Friday to write down what needs your attention next week.
• It sounds simple, but it gives your brain somewhere to put those unfinished thoughts.
• Then, when they pop up on Sunday, you can remind yourself: it’s written down, I’ll deal with it Monday.

3. Protect the transition

• One of the most useful things you can do is simply leave some space between weekend and work.
• Go for a walk, cook dinner, see friends, read - do something that absorbs your attention.

4. Get outside while there’s still daylight

• If your weekend sleep schedule has shifted, getting outside during the day can also help keep your body clock anchored.
• Light’s one of the main signals your brain uses to set circadian timing, and daylight exposure, especially earlier in the day, can help reinforce the difference between daytime alertness and nighttime sleepiness.¹⁰,¹¹
• In other words, reclaim your Sunday - and let your body know it’s still the weekend.

Sign up to get early access to exclusive discounts and wellness tips.

References

1. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. 67% of Britons experience the ‘Sunday Scaries’, new research finds. Reported in: The Guardian (2022). Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/09/sunday-scaries-two-thirds-of-britons-suffer-anxiety-before-return-to-work

2. Campbell, J. & Ehlert, U. Acute psychosocial stress: does the emotional stress response correspond with physiological responses? Psychoneuroendocrinology 37, 1111–1134 (2012).

3. Engert, V. et al. Exploring the multidimensional complex systems structure of the stress response and its relation to health and sleep outcomes. Brain Behav. Immun. 73, 390–402 (2018).

4. Smith, S. M. & Vale, W. W. The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress. Dialogues Clin. Neurosci. 8, 383–395 (2006).

5. Kunz-Ebrecht, S. R., Kirschbaum, C., Marmot, M. & Steptoe, A. Differences in cortisol awakening response on work days and weekends in women and men from the Whitehall II cohort. Psychoneuroendocrinology 29, 516–528 (2004).

6. Fries, E., Dettenborn, L. & Kirschbaum, C. The cortisol awakening response: facts and future directions. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 72, 67–73 (2009).

7. Wittmann, M., Dinich, J., Merrow, M. & Roenneberg, T. Social jetlag: misalignment of biological and social time. Chronobiol. Int. 23, 497–509 (2006).

8. Sonnentag, S. & Fritz, C. The recovery experience questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 12, 204–221 (2007).

9. Wendsche, J. & Lohmann-Haislah, A. A meta-analysis on antecedents and outcomes of detachment from work. Front. Psychol. 7, 2072 (2017).

10. Münch, M. & Bromundt, V. Light and chronobiology: implications for health and disease. Dialogues Clin. Neurosci. 14, 448–453 (2012).

11. Blume, C., Garbazza, C. & Spitschan, M. Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie 23, 147–156 (2019).

BON CHARGE: This content is for general education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always follow product instructions and consult a qualified healthcare professional for guidance tailored to you. Individual results may vary.