Everyone looks forward to the weekend to finally get some rest. Some people try to make up for the sleep they’ve lost during the week by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday. But does that really make up for it?
According to María Ángeles Bonmatí, a professor of anatomy and psychobiology at the University of Murcia, the general population does not have good sleep habits.
“The famous thought appears: ‘I’ll sleep on the weekend.’ Then the weekend comes and we sleep more, as if our body somehow knows we owe it something that will be paid back,” the expert explains.
She says that sleep is a physiological necessity, and our bodies do not know whether it’s a workday or a day off. While sleeping in on the weekend may help offset fatigue, it is not ideal, she notes.
If a person does not sleep 7–8 hours a day and only relies on the weekend, the risk of long-term health problems increases, including cardiovascular and cognitive disorders, and even some types of cancer, Bonmatí warned.”
