Most adults need 7–9 hours of sleep per night to fully rest and restore their bodies. However, many people sacrifice hours of sleep due to work, school, household chores, or partying, hoping to “catch up” on sleep deprivation on the weekends. The Ternopil Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains why this is not effective and what to do if sleep during the week was insufficient.
“Sleeping off” on the weekend can temporarily improve glucose metabolism and hormonal function, but if you sleep less than necessary again after that, the negative effects return. Studies show that you cannot fully compensate for the lack of sleep during the week over the weekend. In addition, prolonged “sleeping off” causes social jet lag - your sleep schedule is disrupted, it is difficult to fall asleep on Sunday and wake up early on Monday.
If you haven't had enough sleep, doctors recommend adding a maximum of one hour to your normal sleep on the weekend and taking a 20–30 minute nap during the day if necessary. You shouldn't sleep for several hours during the day - this disrupts your internal clock and can cause appetite, fatigue, sleep problems and energy.
Chronic sleep deprivation not only causes bad mood and decreased performance. It increases the risk of overeating, overweight, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, decreased immunity, depression, anxiety, and shortens life expectancy. The body compensates for the lack of sleep by eating and increasing energy expenditure, which negatively affects health.
Signs that the body needs more sleep: yawning, fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, forgetfulness, lack of motivation, increased appetite, sexual problems. If they occur, doctors advise adjusting the regimen together with your family doctor.
The main advice is to try to get enough sleep during the week so that the body doesn't try to "catch up" on sleep deprivation on the weekends.
