If I sleep little during the week, can I catch up on the weekend?

The question is whether sleep can be accumulated, that is, whether a person who does not sleep more than three or four hours each day of the work week can

that lost sleep by sleeping twelve hours during the weekend.

And the answer is no.

We usually call delayed sleep that lack of sleep that you accumulate, so to speak, that is, you have less rest than you should.

It depends on your age, but what is recommended is to sleep a minimum of seven hours a day.

The youngest sleep more hours and the oldest, less.

If you sleep less than those seven or eight hours every weekday, you're not going to make up for it by sleeping more on the weekend.

What does happen is that if you sleep very well, that is, enough hours, every day, the fact that one day you sleep less is not very relevant.

But the other way around is not the same: delayed sleep cannot be compensated with a single day.

If you think you are sleeping less than those seven hours you should try to sleep a little more over time.

If one week you have been with a lot of work and you have slept a little less, you can compensate the following week by sleeping eight or eight and a half hours.

You should also not sleep much more than that because, if not, the effect can be to wake up very tired.

But sleeping too little one day and too much the next not only doesn't make up for the lack of sleep, but in the long run, it takes its toll.

Lack of sleep causes increased cardiovascular risk, impaired glucose metabolism that causes increased risk of type 2 diabetes and increased risk of obesity.

There are times when it is difficult to fall asleep because one is very stressed and then melatonin can work as a sleep inducer, taken an hour or an hour and a half before going to sleep.

It is not a panacea but, if it is only a specific problem associated with stress peaks, melatonin can help.

In any case, we always recommend consulting your GP before taking any type of medication.

There are people who say that they sleep only three or four hours, or even less.

It is possible that there is a case, but it is difficult to believe.

They can also be people who certainly don't sleep more than four or five hours at night, but then take a two-hour nap during the day.

In the end, throughout the day they have slept their six or seven hours, that is, an amount of time much closer to the recommendation, because the sleep cycle is twenty-four hours.

Although there are also people who suffer from chronic insomnia, and for them, the lack of sleep ends up taking its toll.

They say that Santiago Ramón y Cajal did not sleep, but we do not know if it is true or not.

The first recommendation that is made, in any case, to people who have trouble sleeping is not to sleep during the day, because that way at night it is easier for them to have a better sleep.

Maria Elisa Calle Puron

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The advice in this office is of a general nature and is not a substitute for medical advice.

If you have questions about your specific problem, ask your doctor or pharmacist.