Can You Catch Up on Sleep on the Weekend?What Studies Show

Short weeknights, long Saturday mornings: it’s a common rhythm. Two studies looked at whether the weekend makes up for the week, and they point in different directions.

The case for weekend sleep

A Swedish study followed 43,880 people for 13 years.¹ Among people under 65:¹

Sleep pattern	Death rate compared with steady 6 to 7 hours
Steady 5 hours or less	65% higher1
Steady 8 hours or more	25% higher1
Short on weekdays, long on weekends	No difference1

In people 65 and older, weekend sleep wasn’t linked with death rates at all.¹ This was an observational study based on one report of sleep habits, so it can’t show that lie-ins protect anyone.

The case against relying on it

A US lab trial randomly assigned healthy young adults to sleep normally, to sleep 5 hours a night, or to sleep 5 hours on weeknights with free weekend sleep-ins.²

• Short sleep raised after-dinner eating and weight in both short-sleep groups.²
• Weekend sleep-ins added only about 1.1 hours in total.²
• Once short nights resumed, the body clock had shifted later, evening eating rose again, and insulin sensitivity fell by about 9% to 27%.²
• Women slept less than men over the recovery weekend.²

The authors concluded weekend recovery sleep didn’t prevent these metabolic effects.² The trial was short and small, and in young adults.

Putting them together

The weekend lie-in may be better than nothing, but it doesn’t erase what short weeknights do. A regular schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, even on weekends, is the standard advice.³

Practical steps

1. Protect weeknight sleep first, since the trial’s harms came from the short nights themselves.²
2. Keep weekend wake times close to weekday ones, then nap briefly if needed; see naps after a short night.
3. Notice the evening snacking that follows short nights.²
4. Get checked if you’re tired despite enough time in bed.

See also the 3am wake-up and daylight saving time.

Try: “I get about five and a half hours on weeknights and sleep until ten on Saturdays. I’m still tired. Is the weekend helping, and what should I change first?”

Did I Do That in My Sleep? covers this in Chapter 10, “In Bed All Night, Tired All Day,” in sections called “Opportunity Comes First” and “Light, Screens and a Usable Routine.” Its tired-day account records each night’s sleep opportunity beside what the next day cost, so you can see whether weeknights or weekends are the problem. See the book.