Originally published February 6, 2017.
How are you feeling today? Maybe not quite as sharp as the average Monday?
The Monday after the Super Bowl has a reputation for being one of the least productive work days of the year. Roughly 110 million Americans watch the big game, often staying out late with alcohol consumption involved. Kickoff isn’t until 6:30 pm, and from there it features a bazillion commercials and an extra-long halftime show. Getting home and in bed on time and clear-headed can be a challenge, to say the least (especially when it goes to overtime following the greatest comeback of all time).
In a survey conducted last year by WorkforceInstitute.org, 77 percent of American workers planned on watching the Super Bowl. The results also suggested that 10 percent (16.5 million) of employed adults in the U.S. intended to miss work the next day, with another 7.5 million likely going in late.
Football fans have long supported the notion that the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a national holiday. Last February, the Wall Street Journal wondered the same thing. The following spring, a presidential candidate even added it to his campaign platform.
There’s a Wikipedia page dedicated to the idea that refers to it as “American Sports Holiday,” as well as a website, SuperBowlitis.com, that goes into great detail about the “illness” that keeps people home sick that day.
The Kraft Heinz company recently started a petition to support the cause (a slick way to become associated with the Super Bowl without actually sponsoring it), while also announcing that it would give all its employees the day off.
Who knows if this day will ever actually become a national holiday, but WHOOP has real data to support the merit of the idea.
Over a 30-day span leading up to last year’s Super Bowl (February 7), the average nightly sleep for WHOOP users ranged from a low of 6.54 hours to a high of 7.44 hours. However, on February 8, it was just 6.23 hours. Similarly, the average daily WHOOP Recoveries from the same time period were between 76 percent and 85 percent. But on Super Bowl Monday–only 73.
This morning, WHOOP users who actually managed to wake up at their regular times slept roughly 48 minutes less than their monthly average. Recoveries were down as well:
From WHOOP users who didn’t sleep late today:
Average Recovery – 72
Monthly average Recovery – 77#SuperBowlRecovery https://t.co/Eql7m9ZVzJ— WHOOP (@whoop) February 6, 2017
Whether you’re at home reading this from your couch, or sitting at your desk wishing today would move along a little faster, we want to hear your Super Bowl Recovery story. Reach out to us @whoop on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #SuperBowlRecovery. Send along a screenshot of your Recovery today, (either high or low!), and the winners will receive a fresh new band for your WHOOP in the color and style of your choice.
UPDATE – Monday, February 5, 2018:
Over the past three months, the average daily Recovery for members of our Team Thrive was 57%. This morning, that number dipped dramatically to 54%. For context, the Team’s daily average rarely fluctuates more than 1%.
