Can You Catch Up on Sleep If You Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

It’s been a long week consisting of late nights and early mornings, and you just can’t wait for the opportunity to sleep in on the weekend and really catch up on your rest. However, have you ever really thought about this—is it actually possible to catch up on sleep and make up for lost hours? Could this approach help you if you are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea in Vero Beach? Today, we share the latest research on the subject as well as the right ways to get back any sleep that you miss.

Can It Be Done?

So is it possible to catch up on sleep?

The only real way to find out is to put the concept to the test, which is exactly what a study recently published in the Journal of Translational Medicine tried to do. In it, researchers found that if a person is chronically sleep deprived, sleeping for 10 hours one night can actually help improve alertness and energy levels the next day. However, they also observed that this doesn’t counteract the other potential long-term health effects of sleep deprivation.

Also, when you do the math, it really doesn’t work if your strategy is to simply make up for all of your lost sleep over the weekend. After just five nights of short sleep, it’s easy to accumulate a 15-hour plus deficit…who has that much time to sleep over the weekend? The human body can really only sleep for 9-10 hours max at a time, and if a person is able to do more, this may indicate that they have an underlying health issue.

In the end, trying to get a few hours of extra sleep on the weekends can help a little, but it really can’t counteract if you’re not getting enough rest most of the time.

How To Do It

However, if you are going to try to catch up on sleep, there is a right way to do it. If you’re feeling a little under-slept lately, experts suggest that you:

• Be Consistent: Waking up at 6 during the week and then sleeping till 10 on the weekends is an easy way to throw off your body’s sleep clock and potentially cause insomnia, so try to keep your sleep schedule as consistent as possible. Instead of waking up two hours later one day, try going to bed an hour earlier and sleeping one hour later. This will save you from not being able to fall asleep when the beginning of the week comes around.
• Take More Naps: Something as short as a 15 or 20 minute nap can make a huge difference in how you feel if you’re tired. This amount of time allows you to stay in the lightest part of your sleep cycle so you wake up feeling energized instead of groggy.
• Sleep the Right Way: If you’re going to try and catch up on sleep, don’t do it on the couch while the TV is on or with the blinds open where daylight can wake you up. Make sure you’re in a dark, quiet space that’s conducive to sleep so you can make the most of it.

When to Get Help

Of course, if you can never seem to catch up on sleep, you should then consult your doctor, as you may be suffering from an undiagnosed sleep disorder. With their help and a few simple habits during the week, you should feel well rested every day, which means you’ll get to spend more time enjoying your weekend while conscious!

About the Author

Dr. Kenneth Mogell is a certified sleep dentist who has been serving Florida for over three decades. At his practice, he provides both sleep apnea and snoring treatment in Vero Beach to help people get the shut-eye they need. If you believe that you or a loved one may be suffering from a sleep issue, he’s ready and able to help, and you can contact him for more information through his website.