Looking forward to weekends! Tips to avoid 6 common health mistakes

Though Saturday and Sunday are theoretically devoted to rest, we're not necessarily making the most of those precious hours.

Many a times our workplace anxieties trickle over from Friday to Saturday, adding stress to what should be a relaxing time.

If not so, you may be unwittingly sabotaging your weekend with bad habits that can negatively affect your sleep patterns, weight loss efforts, and stress levels.

Huffington Post has revealed six common mistakes that can sabotage your time off-and how to avoid them.

Sleeping in too late: Staying up until late at night and then sleeping in the next day could leave you feeling more tired and make it harder to get back onto a normal sleep schedule for the entire week.

Try to organize your schedule so that you can go to sleep and wake up within an hour of the time you would during the week, it suggests.

Overeating: Taking the weekends off from a healthy diet may sabotage weight loss efforts and result in excess calorie intake.

Staying plugged in: Being constantly plugged in can have a number of negative health impacts, from decreased focus and productivity to trouble sleeping and higher stress levels.

Try going tech-free for one day, afternoon, or even just an hour of the weekend while enjoying an outdoor activity or time with loved ones, it said.

Catching up on work: Avoid working at home during weekends and relax. It can actually make you productive.

Running errands and doing chores: Spending the majority of your weekend running errands and doing housework likely won't leave you feeling rested and refreshed come Monday morning.

So, instead of planning to power through your long to-do list on Saturday and Sunday, try spending 30 minutes each evening doing laundry, grocery shopping or cleaning during the week so that you can free up your weekend for more enjoyable, calming activities.

"Sunday Blues": Avoid wasting all of Sunday anticipating the stresses of the coming week.

When you start feeling the Sunday blues coming on, Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D., tells Psychology Today that she recommends getting active and spending time with people you love.