Can you really catch up on sleep?
Most people don’t get enough sleep at night. Be it because of one non -sleeping childa captivating series that must still be finished to finish, or stubborn sleep disorders. But how much sleep does the body actually need? How does a lack of sleep feel and can sleep be made up for? This article gets to the bottom of these questions and shows Which can contribute to a relaxing sleep.
How much sleep is healthy?
Around 60 percent of Germans sleep too little during the week. This shows an online survey of the Pronova BKK from October 2024. According to the sleep study, working people in particular often have during the week Lack of sleep to fight, which leads to fatigue and exhaustion. At the weekend, however, many change their sleeping behavior: 25 percent then usually sleep longer than actually necessary. But how much sleep is really healthy?
The sleep doctor Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer In an interview with the Cleveland Clinic, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. If you sleep too little, you have to deal with the following:
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- Increased fatigue and irritability
- Slowed response time and higher risk of accident
- Restricted attention and poor memory
- Visual and hearing problems
- Little energy and motivation
- Reduced sex drive
If you sleep too little regularly, you can even risk serious health problems in the long run. Dr. Foldvary Schaefer explains that chronic lack of sleep can even significantly increase the risk of cancer, heart diseases, dementia and depression.
Can you really catch up on sleep?
Who doesn’t know it? Everything was too stressful again during the week and sleep was too short. No problem, many think – at the weekend I just catch up with sleep. But is that really possible? Unfortunately, this is not that easy. In fact, opinions split off whether a sleep deficit can be effectively compensated for at the weekend. The health knowledge foundation reports that sleep cannot be made up for. Also a little one Investigation of the University of Park showed that sleep at the weekend cannot compensate for the negative effects of lack of sleep during the week. Although the participants tried to compensate for the shortage by longer sleeping, the health consequences, including poorer cardiovascular values, remained.
But there are also studies that prove the opposite. The Cleveland Clinic indicates that a lack of sleep can be at least partially balanced. These examinations from 2020 and 2023 even show that catching up for sleep can reduce the risk of health problems in the long term. Also that National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases In Beijing, this findings supports. According to the research results of this study, catching up for the weekend can even reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by up to 20 percent. So who is right now? The current study situation does not yet offer a clear answer to whether the lack of sleep can actually be compensated for at the weekend. However, there are other proven methods that can help in the long term to avoid lack of sleep.
5 tips against lack of sleep
The most effective way to counteract the lack of sleep is, according to Dr. Foldvary Schaefer a regular sleep routine. She recommends going to bed an hour earlier every day and adapting the morning so that sleep can be slept longer. In addition, the following can also help that Correct sleep hygiene to improve:
- Constant bed and updates
- Regular evening rituals to support the sleep routine
- Reduced screen time before going to bed
- Short afternoon nap of a maximum of 30 minutes
- Less caffeine, especially in the afternoon
