Like many people busy with life, work, studies, family and what have you, I frequently burn the midnight oil, staying up past my preferred bedtime to complete some obligation or another. Yet, I still must awaken the same time the next day to go to work. As a result, I am frequently getting less than 8 hours a night on weeknights. Sometimes, I make up for the deficit by sleeping a few extra hours on the weekend. But recent studies indicate that it doesn’t work that way. Click here to read why it is important to make time for sufficient sleep on a regular basis and how “playing catch up” on the weekends is not the solution. Like many people busy with life, work, studies, family and what have you, I frequently burn the midnight oil, staying up past my preferred bedtime to complete some obligation or another. Yet, I still must awaken the same time the next day to go to work. As a result, I am frequently getting less than 8 hours a night on weeknights. Sometimes, I make up for the deficit by sleeping a few extra hours on the weekend. But recent studies indicate that it doesn’t work that way. Click here to read why it is important to make time for sufficient sleep on a regular basis and how “playing catch up” on the weekends is not the solution. 16 Responses to “You Can’t Make it Up on the Weekend”
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Hi Anthony,
Sleep deprivation is a trend nowadays especially we are now leaving in a world of technology. It reminded me of my experience when I was working and studying at the same time. I always feel groggy and lethargic after waking up in the morning and struggle to stay awake during the day. Sleeping on weekends worked for me temporarily and I feel renewed on Monday when I went to work. But as time goes by I felt that my body was not responding and that I made a lot of errors at work. I was also having a hard time understanding my assignments at school. So it was then I realized that coping up with sleep deprivation by sleeping on weekends is not good for me. It is good to know that there are recent studies that prove sleep restriction affects performance and alertness and that we should not avoid all-night sleep deprivation.
Hi Anthony,
I never feel like I get enough rest. It seems like when I try to get more rest on the weekend I feel more tired when I have to wake up on Monday morning. I guess I have to find the proper time to go to sleep becouse 8 hours just is not enough for me. I may also look into getting some vitamans to help with my energy level.
What do I think about staying up late and functioning on 6 hours or less hours sleep? Well, since I was a child I have always been a good sleeper, Eight or nine hours. I raised 4 children with all their awakness during their growing years. It was difficult during those times and I had to nap when I could. I found out what my body needs and I need nine hours sleep. If I get less than my brain does not work. I am not a middle of the day nap taker. So I listen to my body.. I think listening to your body and its signals keeps you healthy. Had to give up the caffiene as this was not good for my digestive system either. When I do stay up for an all night activity, than I pay the price.
It is scary to think that a large majority of the population is sleep deprived; especially when you think of how many of those people are driving on the road. Maybe sleep deprivation can be blamed for all of the road rage and impatience that is experienced as well as accidents that could have been prevented had the driver not been distracted in one way or another. I’m sorry to say that I am one of them…and I can’t even say that I am making up for it on the weekend, because I have a 2 yr old that wakes up at the crack of dawn no matter the day or hour. In my previous profession of being an international flight attendant, I sometimes had 18 to 24 hr duty days with the possibility of being in up to 5 time zones within that 24 hr period, then was taking a sleeping pill to hurry up and get sleep before starting all over again with possibly only an 8 hr rest period. Interestingly enough, pilots and airline maintenance crews are even more sleep-deprived than flight attendants, so it’s ironic that flying is still considered to be one of the safest ways to travel. For a while, my body adjusted to going without sleep, so I “felt” as if I didnt need as much, but I did notice a drastic change in my overall mood; snappy and short-fused were my friends. I thought I was managing ok, until I became a single parent and went back to school and was told by friends and family that I wont be sleeping at least for the next 18 yrs! (lol). So, for those experts that say that you can’t make up on the weekend what you’ve lost during the week, I have to question…do they have children? Because for those of us who “live” the sleep-deprived life, you gotta get it when you can.
After reading Traci Bowser’s comments about sleep deprivation, it occurred to me that maybe that flight attendant for JetBlue who slid down the shoot with two beers after telling a passenger off might have been suffering from sleep deprivation! (Among other issues, I suppose – LOL!)
Sleep deprivation is something that I am well acquainted with these days. Even though I have been unemployed since October of last year, I tend to burn the candle at both ends. I know I stay up too late trying to get one more thing done like so many others out there. Then I try to make up for it in the mornings some of the time only that doesn’t always work. I end getting up tired but knowing that I have a lot that I need to accomplish in a given day and can’t afford the luxury of sleeping in for too long. As far as the weekend goes, I may be able to get a little more rest then, but then I feel like I’ve wasted the majority of my day if I spend too much time sleeping. I realize that there needs to be a balance so I will get the rest my body needs to rejuvenate and so that I will be able to perform better overall and feel like I am accomplishing something. I find myself thinking about all the things that I need to get done and feel guilty that I am not getting anything done if I allow myself the luxury of sleeping in. Although I do notice that not getting enough sleep tends to affect my whole day and makes me sluggish to the point that I don’t accomplish nearly as much as I intended to in a day. It is a never-ending cycle and one I am hoping to break once I finish my course. I need to bed at a decent hour and get up at the same time everyday so that I can be at my best.
I really appreciate this blog. I have had less and less sleep in the past three years and my body is responding to it in a negative way. I try to go to bed early and wake up at a decent time where I feel I can be productive, but it is not possible. My body is used to going to bed very late and if I lie down early I cannot fall asleep (no matter how tired I am). I have had days in the past few years that I have just slept for that whole day but it doesn’t improve anything I just feel more tired. I just say that it is my body telling me to rest. My schedule gets busier and I keep on getting more sleep deprived. Between work, school, home, friends, and family there is only so much a person can do.
I agree that you have to work hard to sleep very well. This may include cleaning, exercise and reading. When you really need to sleep then you need the sleep. Cutting out bad sugars and eating right, such as fruit and vegetables is a good thing. Expressing yourself helps a lot. Having fun and not being so serious is a great way to reduce stress. Keeping a positive mind helps considerably. Laughing is very good. Clear all negative thoughts and get busy!
Weekend or even Weekday catch up sleep that is theory that I really do not think works. They say that sleep is food for the mind, body and soul; just as a balanced diet. I really do not think that the ordinary person gets 8 hours of sleep a night. I know when I worked one full time and part time job and sleep was not an option. Friday’s were my 18 hour days with mandatory overtime on Saturdays after getting home at 4:00 in the morning and the system went up at 5:00 I would drink a lot of coffee and stay up to do my overtime. This schedule worked for a few weeks but the rest of the days ran together.
I’m guilty of sleep deprivation, but I never “played catch up” during the weekend—one, I can only attend to my personal errands during the weekend, which means a need a head start in the morning; and two, if I sleep for longs periods of time, I end waking up even more tired than I was to begin with. The only time I pull all nighters is when I have a dead line to meet, but usually I say I get about 6 to 7 hours of sleep each night. I hate to start my day late, because it feels like I wasted it. Instead, I would wake up no later than 9 a.m., I try to be up by 8 a.m. if I’m not working, do what I need to get done, and take an hour—two hour nap sometime during the day. In fact, the only time you will catch me in my bed all day is if I’m sick or the weather outside is so bad (rain/snow) that I rather stay under the covers.
Anthony,
I agree… sometimes we find ourselves busy with life in general and forget about what is really important… our health. When I started school, I wasn’t working and it was easy for me then but then I started to work and with work, school, and kids it was really beating me up on the lack of sleep I am getting. I became extremely sick and was diagnosed with anxiety which with all the stress that I endured, I’m not surprised. I hope you can catch up on some needed rest and find time to take care of yourself. Good luck to you!
Yeah right.It happens to me also.It was pretty hard for me to have work on the day and school at night.My life just sucks.But I said to myself I can carry this because for a living as an independent.BTW,thank you for sharing your thoughts.God Bless
I would have to say sleep deprevation, impacts your whole day! I was up last night until 3 a.m. and I had to be up at 7 a.m. to go to work and I was exhausted all day. I normally like to sleep in on the weekends too, so maybe that is why I was up so late last night. I just feel that we all should get at least 8 hours of sleep, so that we can be well rested for what lays ahead the next day. It would benice to have less and have more time for everything but that is not always the case.
Having a routine sleeping schedule and getting a regular eight hours of sleep each night is something that is nearly impossible for many of us. I have worked in jobs where I worked overnights and the my shift would swith to days several times in one week, making it hard for me to have a set sleep routine. I know that my body suffered and so did my motivation and energy. After a day off I was reenergized and able to work more efficiently. I know how important sleep is not only for my focus and energy but for my health. I am glad to see so many great posts related to this blog.
Aaah sleep… I used to be able to sleep any time, any where, no problem. People used to tell me that I was going to sleep my life away! I was able to fall asleep immediately, noise never bothered me, and it wasn’t uncommon to sleep 10 to 12 hours! Now, I wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back to sleep, toss and turn and get so frustrated! I used to love sleeping in on the weekend, but now I automatically wake up at my usual time, about 4am with no alarm clock!