How Should You Catch Up on Sleep? Facts and Tips

The idea of "catching up on sleep" after a period of sleep deprivation seems tempting, but does it really work? Let's look at what science tells us about it.

It's true that going to bed late one night is usually not a problem and can be made up by sleeping a little longer. But if you sleep too little over several days, the lack of sleep accumulates and it is not so easy to make up for it by simply sleeping longer. The only thing that really helps is going to bed earlier.

Why? Because your body doesn't really make up for lost sleep by sleeping longer, but rather by sleeping deeper. Deep sleep is crucial for physical recovery, and it occurs mainly in the first half of the night. Sleeping too little shortens the duration of deep sleep, which can lead to chronic fatigue in the long run. Therefore, it is important to have enough time for this deep sleep by going to bed earlier.

It may be tempting to sleep late on weekends, but this can lead to disruptions in your biological clock. If you do want to sleep in, limit it to a maximum of 1.5 hours, which is equivalent to one sleep cycle.

While it may not be possible to make up all the "missed" hours of sleep, research shows that we can compensate for about a third of these hours. The key is to maintain a consistent sleep routine and set aside enough time for quality sleep, which is essential to our health and well-being.