Many people try to make up for lost sleep on weekends, but does it help? Research shows that while sleeping in on weekends can temporarily reduce sleep debt and improve mood and performance, it doesn't fully reverse the adverse effects of sleep restriction during the week. For example, a 2019 study by Depner et al. found that weekend recovery sleep did not prevent metabolic dysregulation caused by weekday sleep loss, particularly in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (essential for maintaining a healthy weight and glucose balance), as well as obesity.Catching up on sleep may improve subjective feelings of rest and reduce daytime sleepiness in the short term. However, inconsistent slee...