From metro.co.uk
Hey, we’ve all done it.
You get into a habit of working late, then scrolling TikTok for hours, then watching Love Island later than you should, and generally engaging in all sorts of revenge bedtime procrastinations.
Soon enough, your sleep routine is a mess and you’re far shy of your eight hours a night.
But it’s okay, because you’ll just catch up on sleep at the weekend… right?
Well, unfortunately not.
A weekend lie-in might feel great in the moment (no alarm! The joy of waking up, checking the time, then rolling back over on to your pillow!), but it’s really not doing you much good – and it’s certainly not making up for rubbish sleep during the week.
‘When it comes to sleep, it’s quality rather than quantity that’s important,’ Dr Sue Peacock, a consultant health psychologist, tells Metro.co.uk.
‘If you feel that you really could do with a lie-in, it’s best if you keep it to under 30 minutes, otherwise you will wake sluggish and lethargic. While that additional nap can provide a bit of an energy boost, you aren’t able to fully cycle through the stages of sleep in the same way you would during the night, so it isn’t a substitute for a full night’s rest.
‘People often try to use naps and lie-ins to catch up on insufficient sleep, but this just throws their sleep schedule out of kilter, making it harder to drift off at bedtime.’
If your sleep routine during the week is off due to insomnia, trying to ‘catch up’ at the weekend can cause even more damage, as extra sleep added on to your mornings can in turn make it harder to fall asleep at night.
‘It is important for insomniacs to avoid trying to catch up on sleep in this way, as part of overcoming insomnia is to build up sleep debt, which is helpful in falling asleep at night,’ Dr Sue explains.
‘For these sufferers, it’s important to establish a regular nightly sleep pattern.
‘Although daytime naps and lie-ins are extra tempting, they contribute to a perpetual cycle of night-time insomnia and daytime napping, so the more you sleep in the daytime, the less you sleep at night, which increases your insomnia and the cycle continues.’
The key, as boring as it may sound, is having a regular bedtime and wake time – and trying your best to stick to it throughout the week and weekend.
As an incentive, it’s worth noting that this can make your skin look loads better, too.
‘A good nightly sleep pattern rather than catching an extra forty winks here and there is necessary for good skin health and to ensure that we are getting the most from our sleep,’ Chris Luckham, head of education for Foreo skincare, tells us.
‘Skin renewal and repair takes place overnight when we sleep. The body produces collagen, an essential protein needed to prevent sagging and wrinkles.
‘Research shows that sleeping seven to nine hours a night can reduce fine lines and wrinkles by up to 50%, compared to getting less than five hours at night. In particular, our undereye area benefits from healthy sleep patterns.’
So, better skin, reduced eye bags, and all the usual mental and physical health benefits come from having a decent sleep routine, sans the weekend lie-ins.
If you’re still in bed right now, you might want to get up and at ’em.
If you continue to suffer from sleep anxiety, please consult your GP or a sleep specialist.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/19/why-your-weekend-lie-in-isnt-a-good-idea-16853364/
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