Many of us are can’t wait for the weekend since it is usually the time when we can finally SLEEP. The famous lie-in recharges our batteries which were completely drained by the work week... However this moment we all wait for is actually not at all recommended for the health.
Discover our latest podcast
Researcher Christopher Depner, who works at the University of Colorado, revealed that sleeping in may even be harmful and completely unnecessary.
How did he come to this (sad) conclusion?
The group of researchers observed 36 healthy adults sleeping for 9 nights. The adults were divided into 3 groups.
- one group was allowed to sleep 9 hours per night
- another group not more than 5 hours per night
- and finally the last group could do a mix of both, that is to say sleep 5 hours a night during the week and as much as they wanted on the weekend.
The results? Sleeping more on weekends had no positive impact on metabolism. On the contrary, it was bad because they observed ‘an increase in insulin resistance,’ i.e. the fact that the body has more difficulty in metabolising sugars.
How can this be explained?
Our brains are affected by the time difference between weekdays and weekends. This delay leads to ‘desynchronisation by preventing the body from being exposed to morning light.’
You'll now have to get used to the idea of setting an alarm all week long!
