The Sleep Shortcut Scientists Don't Want You To Trust

Ah, sleep: While essential to human health, sleep is often an elusive activity for many people. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one-third of adults in the U.S. are sleep deprived. A lack of sleep can carry the risk of both short-term and long-term health consequences, such as serious injuries, mental health disorders, high blood pressure, and heart disease. If you're one of the many adults who cannot get enough sleep during the week due to work, school, hobbies, or family obligations, you might be in the habit of trying to catch up on those much-needed ZZZ's over the weekend. Before you skip out on setting an alarm clock for weekend mornings, it's important to learn that science shows this sleep strategy really isn't beneficial to your health after all. What's more, sleeping in on the weekends can make the cycle of inefficient sleep even worse.

Sleep deprivation can affect anyone at any age, but males and adults ages 45 to 64 are at the highest risk, per the CDC. This is particularly challenging for shift workers, caregivers, first responders, business travelers, and anyone else who might not have a set schedule. The problem of waking up frequently can also occur in adults with young kids and pets, as well as those with sleep disorders or other underlying medical conditions. 

Needless to say, not getting enough sleep is a common issue that can even increase the risk of early death, but it's also one that might not be resolved with shortcuts like occasionally sleeping in.

The CDC attributes sleep deprivation to two main causes. These include poor quality of sleep, which can happen if you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night, as well as not getting enough sleep more generally. While the National Sleep Foundation says that some adults ages 18 to 64 need as much as 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night, the very minimum recommendation for most adults is 7 hours every night. If you can't quite get this much sleep every night on a consistent basis, you might experience what's known as "sleep debt."

When you accumulate this type of debt throughout the week, it can be a natural response to essentially try to get this number down by sleeping in when you can. For people with a standard Monday through Friday schedule, this could involve sleeping more on the weekends. However, this behavior isn't always weekend exclusive. If you work on weekends, you might try to sleep in on any day you might not be obligated to wake up early.

In theory, getting a bit more sleep when you can does decrease any weekly sleep debt you've accumulated. Yet there are some real downsides to this common sleep debt strategy. As a 2024 editorial in the journal Sleep outlined, any benefits of catching up on sleep can be quickly offset by poor sleep hygiene on other days of the week. Furthermore, sleeping in may mess with your circadian rhythms and make it more challenging to fall asleep during your work week. The consensus appears to be that while sleeping in might seem helpful, it does more long-term damage than it's worth.

Instead of allowing yourself to get little sleep on most days and to catch up on some shut-eye over the weekend, experts have a not-so-radical solution. Both the National Sleep Foundation and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommend you go to bed and try to wake up around the same times each day — including on weekends. Doing so reduces the impact on your circadian rhythms and will help you achieve the amount of sleep you need during the week. In turn, more consistent sleep also means a healthier body and mind. A sleep schedule may also reduce the risk of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. On the flipside, too much sleep is linked with a decreased lifespan.

If you're wondering what to do about sleep debt, there are some strategies scientists recommend. For example, the NHLBI outlines a one-hour difference you might adhere to on weekends without causing too many disruptions to your circadian rhythms. This could look like sleeping in one extra hour on weekends. Also, while napping may not be enough to help address sleep debt, most adults can safely take early afternoon naps of between 20 and 30 minutes at a time. This may also be helpful if you have a job that involves varying shifts throughout the week.