#sleep cycle and weekends

[lifestyle-hub]

Sleeping In on Weekends: Healthy Habit or Myth?

Image Credit: Ketut Subiyanto

After a long week of running around, cramming deadlines, and, let’s be honest, not getting enough sleep, those extra hours under the covers feel like a well-deserved reward. But, does sleeping in on weekends really help us catch up on sleep, or are we just fooling ourselves 🧐?

The Truth About "Catching up" on Sleep

We've all been there (at least I have) burning the candle at both ends Monday to Friday, then trying to make up for it by sleeping until noon on Saturday. It feels good, right? But the science says otherwise. When we don't get adequate sleep during the week, our bodies don’t just press a reset button on the weekend.

Sleep researchers (the smart nerdy guys) have discovered something important, “you can’t really catch up on lost sleep”. Sure, a few extra hours might help you feel more refreshed temporarily, but serious sleep deprivation can't be erased by two days of sleeping in. Your body and brain miss out on deep, restorative sleep, and no amount of weekend lie-ins can replace that.

In fact, studies suggest that irregular sleep patterns like skimping on sleep during the week and overcompensating on the weekends can mess with your internal clock, making it harder to establish a healthy routine. So, while that Saturday morning snooze might feel wonderful, it’s not a quick fix.

How Your Body Tries to Compensate

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, (your body is smarter than you think). When you repeatedly cut corners on sleep, your body compensates in subtle ways. It might trigger more light sleep instead of deep sleep, or even alter your mood and energy levels throughout the day.

But note that your body’s compensation mechanisms can only do so much. Over time, chronic sleep deprivation leads to issues like weakened immune function, mood swings, and increased risk of serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes. In other words, nature tries to balance the scales, but you’re not getting away with poor sleep habits scot-free.

Breakfast: A Helpful Tool

So, what can you do if you're struggling with sleep? “Don't skip breakfast”.

Yeah, yeah, I know it might sound unrelated, but eating a nutritious breakfast can actually help regulate your body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which controls your sleep-wake cycle.

When you have a consistent morning routine that includes breakfast, it signals to your body that it’s time to wake up and be active. This sets you up for a more predictable sleep cycle later on.

Plus, a balanced breakfast can help stabilize your blood sugar levels, which might reduce those mid-afternoon crashes that often have us reaching for caffeine, more on that in a bit.

Go Easy on Your Coffee

Speaking of caffeine, let’s talk about the role it plays in this whole sleep equation. If you’ve been relying on coffee to power through your tired days, you’re not alone.

Sure, it gives you that quick jolt of energy, but it also disrupts your sleep cycle, especially if consumed later in the day. Even if you fall asleep after your afternoon espresso, the quality of your sleep might be compromised, leading to that groggy, sluggish feeling when you wake up.

Instead of relying on caffeine, try focusing on hydration and energy-boosting foods like fruits, nuts, or a quick walk outside to reset your energy levels naturally. Trust me, your future self will thank you when you can fall asleep more easily at night.

Tips for Better Sleep (No Lie-ins Required)

Here are a few tips to help you get a better night’s sleep without needing to play catch-up:

1. Create a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate your body’s internal clock. Yes, even on weekends.

2. Limit Screen Time Before Bed: The blue light from screens can interfere with your melatonin levels, making it harder to fall asleep. Try to shut off your devices at least an hour before bedtime.

3. Wind Down with a Routine: Incorporate relaxing activities into your bedtime routine, like reading a book, taking a warm bath, or practicing deep breathing exercises.

4. Get Moving During the Day: Regular physical activity promotes better sleep, just make sure you’re not exercising too close to bedtime.

5. Keep Your Sleep Environment Comfortable: 'Different strokes work for different folks' but a cool, dark, and quiet room is key to falling and staying asleep.

With all that said, it doesn’t mean you need to give up the occasional lazy Saturday morning, but don’t let it become your go-to strategy for managing sleep.

After all, consistency is key, and small changes to your daily routine can have a big impact on your overall health.

Signing out, Kad👌

References

Harvard Medical School. (2020). "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body."

National Sleep Foundation. (2019). "Caffeine and Sleep."

[blenselche]

been a minute since i drew a dissociated fern

the wrong one likes him

[mildew-dread-mold]

every morning i drink a very large cup of coffee to fend off the sleep deprivation headache even though i know the coffee will make my stomach hurt later and i am comforted mostly by thinking about the declanlynchcore of it all

[tantumuna]

Desperately trying to salvage the three day weekend with anything I could possibly do as if I even have a mind for writing right now

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: March 19

"Let Me Drown" by Orville Peck

[wickedhawtwexler]

i feel like i hardly ever take sick days when i’m actually sick, it’s almost always when i’m just sleep deprived

[geroya]

WRACKED WITH STRESS & ANXIETY

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 2, day 28, I turned 35 and I fixed the necklace bounce! *celebratory kazoo noises*

Or at least I'm satisfied with the necklace bounce as it is right now; I may change my mind tomorrow XD

[callixton]

hm. i have got to get kinder

[spow-ed]

Why is it when I always want to do something cool is when I have fiddy assignments due tomorrow night

[phagodyke]

I feel like my meds keep wearing off earlier and earlier in the day ugh.. having to lie down now im home from work I'm shattered :-(

[gentlethorns]

jesus christ i hate my body. it's like owning a shitty used car all over again except that I CAN'T SELL IT AND BUY A NEW ONE. unless you would classify orthopedic surgery as doing that and even then that's far in the future and does me no good whatsoever right now

[deluxc]

there is a definite pain in me

[mad4turtles]

...

[djenxuelmxue]

Harder than one might think to adjust to my dad's retirement

Like, for lunch i usually go downstairs and watch YouTube while I eat but dad was reading in the chair I usually sit in and i couldn't just barge in and turn on the tv

Not just that I couldn't watch TV! But my back hurts and I dont like sitting in the same place all day, give it a break. And I don't like staying in my room all day-- I need space otherwise i feel like I'm quarantined w covid and I'm just looking at the same things ALL the time and I go crazy. Idk, I'm ok w small space a lot but there's a limit. I do need to like feel not just all cramped all th time.

I felt really horrible and felt like screaming (I guess i also don't adjust well to new things...) then I went in moms room (she's at work) and watched YouTube with lunch. I also don't feel comfortable watching things w swear words w my parents there bc they make Comments. I'm not totally free here and I need to move out.

I dont usually go in moms room bc its more convenient to make lunch and not take it upstairs plus the downstairs is bigger. But it was kind of nice there. I could watch what I wanted. -- and without having to look at my kindle screen which is small and close up. I don't want to look at the same screens all day either, I'm already on my computer most of the day, I need something further away so I don't lose what vision i have.

Nice to be in a different space, kind of pretend I have my own apartment up here (rather than just 1 room).

[specialagentartemis]

man. People get so upset when you call things social constructs. Thinking that if you say something is a social construct that means it's fake and unnatural, and following that, that that means it’s bad. Something being a social construct means that it’s socially constructed. That’s it.

Money is a social construct. Weekends are a social construct. Vegetables are a social construct.

That doesn’t mean it’s okay if my paycheck is withheld or my rent is late. Doesn’t mean I don’t luxuriate in sleeping in on Saturday. Doesn’t mean the nutrients in tomatoes or spinach aren’t good for you.

What it means is that the way we think about things is socially constructed, and could be constructed a different way. Why do we base our society around money? What does value mean outside of money? What is “value”? The way we construct it isn’t the only possible way.

Why is a week a cycle of seven days, and five of those days are for working and two of those days are for resting? Could we organize our time differently? Should we? What would that look like? Other cultures don’t/didn’t have seven-day weeks with a five on-two off cycle. It’s not inevitable. It’s historically and culturally specific.

“Fruit” has a scientific definition but “vegetable” does not. Many parts of plants are culinarily defined as vegetables. Fruits (eggplant, avocado, tomato), stems (celery, asparagus), leaves (kale, lettuce), roots (carrots, potatoes, turnips)… all of these are culturally categorized as vegetables. And nutrition advice is based on this cultural categorization. Is a mushroom a vegetable? It’s not even a plant! Why do we categorize it this way? Why isn’t wheat or oats considered vegetables, but corn is, except when it isn’t? Could we categorize our plant-based food other ways?

Calling these social constructs doesn’t mean they’re bad or unimportant. It just calls attention to the fact that they aren’t inevitable. That they could be constructed in different ways, and that is worth thinking about, and thinking about the value we get in constructing things the way we do.

Gender is a social construct.

Romance is a social construct.

They are based on feelings, desires, and experiences, but how we name and categorize and express and act on them are fully culturally constructed. Other cultures do and have constructed these concepts in other ways. You can like the way we do it now. You can find it stifling. But the way we do it now is not the only, inevitable, inherent, real way. It could be done other ways, organized and categorized and conceptualized in other ways. And that’s not a bad thing either.