If you are among the more than 70 million Americans who don’t sleep enough during the week, you might be tempted to catch a few extra zzzs when the weekend rolls around. But, is it a good idea to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings? Does it help restore a sleep debt or does sleeping in disrupt your circadian rhythm?
Some experts have suggested that sleeping in might be a good idea while others have cautioned against it.
To learn more about the benefits and disadvantages of weekend sleep, we took a look at scientific studies. Here's what we discovered.
Sleep Debt: How it Affects You
Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep that you need and the amount that you actually get. When you don’t get enough sleep, your sleep debt adds up. Experts agree that it’s essential to get a full night of sleep — every night. For most adults, that equals seven to nine hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Getting less sleep than this on a consistent basis can negatively impact your mental and physical health. In the short term, it can make you drowsy and irritable, as well as affect your mental performance. Over the long run, it puts you at a greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, stroke, neurological disease, cancer, and more. It also negatively impacts your immune health.
The Research is Mixed on Weekend Sleep-Ins
Catching up on sleep over the weekend may lower your risk of depression, according to a study, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, and conducted in Korea.
A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research followed people who didn’t get enough sleep during the week and then caught up on sleep over the weekend. It was found that they lived longer than those who were sleep-deprived the entire week.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that sleeping in is good for you. Other studies have found conflicting results.
Sleeping in on the weekend may have negative consequences for your gut health. A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found a connection between irregular sleep schedules and gut health. The study compared the gut health of participants who kept regular sleep schedules to those who did not. Researchers discovered that inconsistent sleep schedules resulted in negative gut health outcomes.
One study, published in Current Biology, found that making up sleep on the weekend did not protect participants from the health consequences of sleep deprivation. Those who got five hours of sleep a night during the week and two extra hours per weekend day had excessive calorie intake, reduced energy, and increased weight, which was similar to participants who stayed sleep-deprived during the entire week.
Consistency is Best
Sleeping in on the weekends causes what’s called social jet lag. This occurs when we shift our sleep-wake times to accommodate our social lives, and it includes going to bed and waking up later on the weekends. This disrupts your circadian rhythm and can make it hard to fall asleep on Sunday night because it throws off your sleep-wake cycle. You’ll find waking up on Monday morning for work to be quite brutal.
When it comes to sleep, the best thing is to get enough sleep every night. Consistency is the key. Sleep experts recommend keeping the same bedtime and wake-up time every day of the week.
Tips for Developing a Regular Sleep Schedule
A regular sleep schedule can help you avoid accruing a sleep debt in the first place. You can improve your chances of having consistent sleep by doing the following:
- Be really intentional about your sleep routine. Create a consistent bedtime routine that you can follow on both the weekdays and weekends. Try to do the same things before bed every night, even on the weekends. You could listen to a calming playlist, read a book for 20 minutes, or relax with a chamomile tea.
- Track your sleep - Use a sleep tracker, like Pillow, to track your sleep. This can help ensure that you stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
- Take a short nap - Short (30 minutes or less) naps can be a great way to feel more rested during the day and can help prevent you from racking up a sleep debt. Just try to take your nap before 3 p.m. or seven hours before bedtime so that it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.
- Don’t binge drink - Weekend binge drinking is a new trend that is becoming popular with millennials. However, drinking too much alcohol can significantly affect your sleep patterns. Limit drinks to 1 or less for women and 2 or less for men. Also, stop drinking at least four hours before bedtime. This will give your body enough time to metabolize the alcohol so it doesn’t impact your sleep.
- Get moving - Exercise plays a critical role in helping to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. While you might be tempted to take a break from working out over the weekends, your body needs regular exercise. So, try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day or wind down before bed with some gentle yoga stretches.
- Try not to worry if you oversleep - It’s OK if you hit the snooze button a couple of times on the weekend. Don’t go into full panic mode. Even though it’s best to keep the same schedule, if you do sleep in a little bit, it probably won’t hurt your sleep schedule too much, as long as you don’t sleep for too long.
The Bottom Line: You Can’t Cheat on Sleep and Get Away With It
Although it may be tempting to sleep until noon on the weekend, it’s best to try to keep your regular sleep schedule.
Sleeping in on the weekends is not a long-term solution for sleep debt. The science is pretty clear that an irregular sleep schedule is problematic. If you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, you will sleep better overall.
If you feel the need to consistently sleep in on the weekends, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder or underlying condition that you might want to see your doctor about.
