Unfortunately, your body isn’t running an internal clock that says “if you sleep 50 hours this week, you’ll feel great.”
Studies have confirmed that catching up on sleep really doesn’t work.
If you’re still thinking “I’ll sleep later,” keep the following points in mind:
1. Weight Gain and Poor Sleep are Linked
Catch-up sleep may also contribute to weight gain, so that’s another factor that you’ll need to consider. Studies show that people who sleep less tend to weigh significantly more. One study that is very concerning is that children are 89% more likely to become obese and adults 55% more likely to become obese when sleep durations are short.
Motivation to exercise also decreases along with hormones.
2. Sleep Improves Concentration and Productivity
Sleep is vital if you want to be able to concentrate and be productive. Chicago has made it a point that Uber drivers sleep more often.
Why?
Because many drivers lack concentration and productivity because they’re sleeping too little. In fact, drivers are limited to 10 hours behind the wheel in a 24-hour period.
Studies have proven that sleep has a serious impact on medical errors. One study showed that interns that work 24 hours of extended work time each week make 36% more serious medical errors than interns that are allowed more sleep.
Another study showed that short sleep can cause the same degree of brain impact as alcohol intoxication.
When sleeping on a proper schedule, you’ll be able to improve your productivity and concentration.
3. Athletic Performance is Maximized with Good Sleep
Basketball players were the focus of one study, which showed a direct link between sleep and athletic performance. Players that were able to enjoy a longer sleep were able to improve:
- Mental well-being
- Accuracy
- Reaction time
- Speed
Players that were not allowed proper sleep periods performed worse than their peers. For non-athletes, there’s also a correlation of loss of grip strength and slower walking speeds and poor sleep.
4. Poor Sleep Increases Your Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke
Diabetes, heart disease and stroke are all very serious medical conditions. Sleep has been linked to greater risks of all of these conditions. Sleep quality and duration have been linked, according to 15 studies, to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
Sleeping just 7 – 8 hours per night will alleviate these risks.
Type 2 diabetes can also be caused by lack of sleep. One interesting study forced young, healthy men to sleep just four hours a night over a six-night period. What happened afterward? These individuals had the symptoms of prediabetes.
All it took was one week of proper sleep to eliminate these symptoms.
If you’re sleeping less than six hours per night, you’re at a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Sleep allows your body to rest, repair and get rid of the toxins that build up during the day. If you’re of the mindset that you’ll “sleep later,” you may be doing your body more harm than good.