A former boss used to send emails on Sunday nights asking about the status of projects, suggesting edits for a story or not-so-gentle nudges about overdue reports. The emails were sent on other nights of the week and early mornings as well but it was the Sunday evening missives I dreaded most. Why? Because I ended up spending the night tossing and turning as I mentally re-arranged my Monday morning to accommodate the requests in the email. And instead of starting the week off in a good mood, I was anxious and frustrated. Come to find out, my situation wasn’t unique. Kelsey Gee writes in a recent Wall Street Journal article that the proliferation of smartphones and workplace communication apps has made it difficult for workers to disengage from work after leaving the office for the day. Gee cites a recent study by researchers at Virginia Tech, Lehigh University and Colorado State University that found that even the expectation of checking work emails on weekends and after-hours triggered anxiety and other harmful health effects among workers. Gee writes that some U.S. companies are taking deliberate steps to discourage – and even ban – emails from being sent on weekends. Read more here.