Weekend "catching up on sleep" can be a lifesaver

This is the first in a series on recalibrating every aspect of our lives for a healthier New Year
.

Experts say most people don't get enough sleep, and the resulting problems are obvious and can be serious
.

Elizabeth Coleman, a sleep specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said: "Absenteeism, 'attendance' (people coming to work very tired), car accidents, medical malpractice
.
" "There are adverse effects
on mood, mental disorders, cardiovascular disease, increased obesity, and possibly cancer, dementia and neurological diseases.
"

"Memory, cognitive function," adds
Til Roneberg, professor of chronobiology at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich and former assistant researcher at Harvard University.

In more chronic, extreme cases caused by sleep disorders, medical help
may be required.
But for those who have problems with long hours at work, family responsibilities, or simply reading, listening, or watching TV late, there are simpler solutions, such as better regulating their sleep habits and using weekends to catch up on sleep
.
But, like many problems rooted in behavior, the first step is to acknowledge the problem
.

Numerous studies have shown that most of us don't get enough sleep and don't get enough rest, and long-term sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems
.
But while most of us understand that adequate rest is an important factor in personal health, we still see a good night's sleep as a luxury—even a strange phenomenon—and instead content us to convince ourselves that we are good enough to "get by" sleep
.

But Coleman says that may not be the case
.
It's more likely that we're
tired no matter what we tell ourselves.
The best strategy, Coleman and Roneberg say, is to get enough rest each night, but for those who often work long hours, play at night, juggle family and other obligations, weekends can provide an important respite, a sleep oasis
to climb to.

While catching up on sleep isn't a mathematical operation, Roneberg says a few mornings of sleep are an important way to
reduce your sleep debt.

Coleman was convinced that debt existed
.
A few years ago, she conducted a study at Brigham and Women's Hospital that highlighted that even if we sleep enough, stay fairly awake at work, and don't miss important things at home, we still don't get a good rest
.

Coleman and colleagues surveyed the subjects' sleep habits and their perceptions
of how much sleep they needed.
Then they slept
so much each night for the week before coming to the lab.
On their first day there, they had the opportunity to nap five times a day in what was known as the Multiple Sleep Latency Test, in which each subject had 20 minutes to fall asleep
.
Almost all participants fell asleep each time, with those who claimed to need sleep the least slept the fastest
.

"Some people fall asleep before the technician leaves the room," Coleman said
.
"The technician said, 'Try to fall asleep,' and left the room, and by the time the technician saw the surveillance screen, the participant was already asleep
.
You say you get enough sleep, but if you do, you shouldn't fall asleep so quickly during the day
.
”

Next, the team gave the subjects 16 hours of "sleep" a day: 12 hours at night and 4 hours
of napping.
This "opportunity" means lying in bed, turning off the lights, no books, no phone, no getting up
.
On the first night, participants who should have been well rested slept for an average of about 12 and a half hours
.
The next night, I slept for about 11 hours
.
After five days, the participants' average sleep time stabilized at about 8 hours, with younger people sleeping a little more and older people sleeping a little
less.
They then repeated the nap potential sleep test
five times.
This time, almost no one was asleep
.

"There's a disconnect
between how awake people are and how long they sleep," Coleman said.
"I'm not saying everyone should sleep 12 and a half hours a night — catch up on sleep
here.
But in order to get 8 hours of sleep, you need to lie in bed for more than
8 hours.
If you fall asleep as soon as your head touches the pillow, you are not
getting enough sleep.
”

However, over-reliance on weekend sleep can be complicated because there is another factor at
play beyond simple sleep deprivation.
The term "social jet lag" was coined by Roneberg during his visit to Boston last December to illustrate the effects of
going to bed a few hours later than normal on Friday and Saturday nights, and waking up late on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Roneberg said the impact of social jet lag on some people's biological clocks is similar to flying from Frankfurt to New York every Friday and back
on Monday.
This social jet lag occurs because people's work schedules may not align with the preferred schedules of their internal clocks, especially those who are born late to bed and get up late, such as teenagers
.
When people don't need to get up to go to work or school, they sleep later, sleep later, and for longer
.

Maintaining a more regular routine is best, but extra sleep is still not a bad thing
.

"If possible, we encourage people to sleep more the next day when they don't go to work or school, because most people don't get enough sleep overall
," Coleman said.
"If you don't usually get enough sleep, don't worry about whether your sleep schedule is regular
.
"

Coleman and Roneberg say it's easy to spot signs
of your lack of sleep.
If you need an alarm clock to wake up — 85% of people do—or fall asleep with your head in a pillow, or need to take a nap during the day, it's time
to reassess your habits.
If you wake up tired after 8 hours of sleep and your bed partner says you snore loudly, stop breathing when you sleep, or kick your legs at night, then it's
time to consult a sleep clinic, Kollerman says.

"If you get enough sleep — and you don't have sleep disorders — you shouldn't fall asleep
during the day," Coleman said.