CAN YOU MAKE UP FOR LOST SLEEP DURING THE WEEK?
Insufficient sleep increases risk of obesity, hypertension, dementia, as well as adversely affecting daytime functioning. Many of us assume that “recovery sleep” on the weekend can reverse the disruptions in metabolism that follow loss of sleep.
Not so, according to new study published in Current Biology, March 2019. Researchers compared a group allowed to sleep up to 9 hours a night with a group limited to 5 hours of sleep for 5 consecutive nights. The sleep-deprived group was then allowed to sleep as much as they wanted for 2 days and then were sleep-deprived for another 2 days.
Surprisingly, they managed to sleep, on average, only an extra 3 hours over the 2 recovery nights. They were less likely to snack at night during the recovery period but resumed snacking for the next 2 days of sleep deprivation. They had a 27% decrease in insulin sensitivity, and, OMG, gained 3 pounds!
