Do You also Catch-up Your Week-Long Sleep on the Weekends?
Highlights:
- Sleep bulimia is when individuals deprive themselves of sufficient sleep during weekdays and try to compensate by sleeping longer on weekends
- The negative effects of sleep deprivation during the week can impact productivity, performance, and academic grades
- Establishing a consistent sleep schedule is essential, especially when preparing for exams or important events
Are you in the habit of depriving yourself of sleep on weekdays and then compensating for it with extended sleep on weekends? If so, you might be experiencing what's known as "sleep bulimia."
Although this pattern may seem like it balances out your total sleep time, it's not as effective as it appears. The lack of sleep during the weekdays can negatively impact your productivity and performance, including your academic grades, and catching up on sleep during the weekends cannot fully recover those losses (1✔).
‘Recovering sleep lost during the week on weekends is ineffective since one can only restore up to 25% of the lost sleep. #SleepBulimia #Sleep’
Your brain is naturally wired to solve complex problems while you sleep. Have you ever struggled with a difficult problem and couldn't find the solution despite staying up late to work on it? Surprisingly, you wake up with the answer after a good night's sleep. This is the brain's way of processing information during sleep. Studies have demonstrated that sleep helps identify challenging tasks and resolve them overnight.
Pulling an All-Nighter is not a Solution After All
Pulling an all-nighter is not a viable solution either. It has been associated with lower grades, and its negative effects can last up to four days, impairing memory and reasoning abilities.Additionally, attempting to wake up early and cram before an exam can be counterproductive as it interferes with the essential rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which aids in memory consolidation. Reviewing your notes excessively might not be as helpful as you think and may impact what you have already learned.
Instead, adopting a regular sleep schedule is crucial, especially when approaching an important exam. It's advisable to stick to this schedule during the weekend as well, even if the exam is on a Monday, as the effects of sleep deprivation can linger for several days and affect your performance on Monday morning (2✔).
Power Naps May be the Answer and not Caffeine
If you feel drowsy during the day, take a power nap instead of relying on caffeine. While caffeine can keep you awake, it doesn't contribute to processing what you've learned. A short nap, lasting less than 20 minutes, can recharge your brain and provide an energy boost without leaving you feeling groggy.Reference:
- Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/)
- Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students - (https:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6773696/)
Source: Medindia
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Dr. Krishanga. (2023, July 29). Do You also Catch-up Your Week-Long Sleep on the Weekends?. Medindia. Retrieved on Jan 04, 2025 from https://www.medindia.net/news/lifestyleandwellness/do-you-also-catch-up-your-week-long-sleep-on-the-weekends-212878-1.htm.
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Dr. Krishanga. "Do You also Catch-up Your Week-Long Sleep on the Weekends?". Medindia. Jan 04, 2025. <https://www.medindia.net/news/lifestyleandwellness/do-you-also-catch-up-your-week-long-sleep-on-the-weekends-212878-1.htm>.
Chicago
Dr. Krishanga. "Do You also Catch-up Your Week-Long Sleep on the Weekends?". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/lifestyleandwellness/do-you-also-catch-up-your-week-long-sleep-on-the-weekends-212878-1.htm. (accessed Jan 04, 2025).
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Dr. Krishanga. 2023. Do You also Catch-up Your Week-Long Sleep on the Weekends?. Medindia, viewed Jan 04, 2025, https://www.medindia.net/news/lifestyleandwellness/do-you-also-catch-up-your-week-long-sleep-on-the-weekends-212878-1.htm.