Can You Make Up for Lost Sleep on the Weekend?

Pedro_P

▼ Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to your health; many studies even link the lack of Z'sto higher odds of dying during a certain time period. But a new study from Sweden suggests that if you can't sleep as much as you need during the week, you may be able to make up for it on the weekends.
The researchers found that people ages 65 and under who slept 5 hours or less a night had a 65 percent higher risk of death during the 13-year study period than those who got 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. But individuals who balanced their short weekday sleep with longer weekend sleep did not appear to have any increased mortality risk.
The findings suggest, in other words, that you may be able to make up for the damaging effects of lost sleep.
"We can't really say 100 percent we have proven this, but it's a reasonable assumption that this is what's happening," said lead study author Torbjörn Åkerstedt, a professor of behavioral medicine at Stockholm University in Sweden.
The study was published today (May 23) in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Previous studies looking at sleep deprivationand mortality risk often asked participants about their "usual" sleep duration, which is often interpreted as one's weekday sleep schedule. But "we suspected that might not be the whole story," Åkerstedt told Live Science.
In the study, Åkerstedt and his colleagues gathered the data of more than 38,000 adults, collected in a medical survey in Sweden in 1997. In the survey, the participants answered two questions about their sleep duration, on weeknights and on days off. (▪ ▪ ▪)

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soothsayer

a well earned rest -yes can help relax. still doubtful if one can make up for sleeping hours lost

niya

this is a relief.now I won't have to fret over my lack of sleep.I can make up at weekends.

riteshk

Thanks for sharing.. Nice article

mirzolino

I usually can

SamarG

Great news that you can make up for lost sleep. Sometimes there is no choice due to work.

raospr30

A person may die if sleep is deprived for more than 3 days. It is as important as water for life.

nvarsani

I feel sleep is just needed to rest the body 5 hours is all you need

Buddha480

Yes you can - there is the concept of a sleep deficit which can be made up

me_martian

This research article must be right. We all experience this right? Slog 2 or 3 straight days not being able to get sleep for want of finish reading a beautiful novel, and then go sleep straight 10 hours?