‘Your sleep banking account is in the red’ — an expert explains why I’m tired all the time, despite getting plenty of sleep at the weekend

On the left, a tired woman sits rubbing her eyes while holding a cup of coffee. On the right, a woman lies on her back in bed with a sleep mask on, sleeping well. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

During the week I try to maintain a healthy sleep schedule — I use the best mattress for my sleep style, wind-down in dim lights, and I'm trying hard to quit my pre-bed doomscroll.

Still, I'm often exhausted by the time the weekend hits, spending Saturday and Sunday playing 'catch up' with my sleep.

Can you 'catch up' on sleep?

Yes and no, according to Dr. Weiss. While oversleeping on the weekend can help you recover from some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation, other effects are less easy to undo.

A woman with dark hair taps the top of a white alarm clock to stop it from ringing — (Image credit: Getty)

"Think about sleep as a checking account," says Dr. Weiss. "Sleeping the recommended hours per age group means that you are spending (energy, metabolism, brain function, etc.) within your transaction limits."

Sleep debt occurs when your outgoings add up to more than your incomings — you aren't getting enough sleep to recover from your day to day activities. As Dr. Weiss says; "your sleep banking account is in the red."

And it's not a case of simple payback.

"Catching up on sleep is similar to trying to compensate for an overdraft in the sleep account," she notes.

"Research shows that this compensation works partially — for example, the cardiovascular function and attention can improve from it. Meanwhile, neurodegeneration, metabolism, and immune function are unlikely to fully recover from sleep debt."

So those extra hours can offset some of your missed sleep, while not touching the debt in other places.

"Think about having overdraft fees and credit card interest at the same time — it’s very difficult to pay off simultaneously," says Dr. Weiss.

Why oversleeping is making you tired

So oversleeping isn't chipping away at my sleep debt the way I hoped it would. And it turns out it might actually be making me more tired. Dr. Weiss explains why...

"Oversleeping on weekends may cause ‘social jet lag’ a phenomenon in which a person’s behavior shifts their sleep schedule by a few hours, directly disrupting their circadian rhythms," says Dr. Weiss.

It's a similar effect to regular jet lag but instead of a long haul flight taking you through different time zones, you're doing it yourself by lying in bed on a weekend morning.

A woman stifles a yawn as she looks out of the window during her commute — (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Social jet lag typically causes fatigue, difficulty with attention, concentration, and mood swings, among other issues," warns Dr. Weiss.

And while quickly hoping from state-to-state might not seem like a major disruption, Dr. Weiss notes it takes only a small shift between your weekday and weekend schedule to create social jet lag.

"Even a 2-hour difference in sleep schedule could impact circadian rhythms," she says. That's the shift from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Long-term sleep deprivation

"People with prolonged periods of insufficient sleep may not benefit from catching up on sleep," warns Dr. Weiss.

A woman lies in bed tired with her eyes closed and her arm over her face. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

When your sleep account is consistently in the red, extra sleep at the weekend is unlikely to make a dent in your debt. And, as noted above, will have minimal impact on some of the effects of sleep deprivation.

"Several studies indicate that sleeping less than 7 hours or less than 6 hours is harmful for health and increase all cause death mortality," says Dr. Weiss.

A disrupted sleep schedule

"Oversleeping on the weekend may negatively impact sleep quality by disrupting sleep regularity," Dr. Weiss explains.

Your sleep schedule is the average time you fall asleep and wake up each day. While your weekday sleep schedule is likely to follow set patterns, going to bed later and waking up later at the weekend delays that routine.

A man lies awake at night. He is lying on his back in a bed with white bedding. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Doing so impacts your circadian rhythm, which Dr. Weiss explains is bad for your mood, metabolism, attention and concentration.

"[Oversleeping] can lead to grogginess, fatigue, and misaligned hormone levels, in similar ways to what we see with social jet lag," says Dr. Weiss.

And it doesn't just disrupt your weekend. You might struggle to fall asleep on Sunday night following a late start to Sunday morning.

It's all too familiar to me, as my sleep tracker shows I sleep worse on a Sunday than any other night. No wonder by Wednesday I already feel like I'm in the red and need some serious payback at the weekend.

Instead of oversleeping, make this switch instead

It's not all terrible news for those who love to sleep in at the weekend. particularly as it can go some way to repaying your sleep debt.

"Keep in mind that oversleeping to catch up after a bad night or a few bad nights is not, in itself, a bad thing," reassures Dr. Weiss. "As I mentioned earlier, 'catching up on sleep' can help recovery, at least partially."

Oversleeping to catch up after a bad night or a few bad nights is not, in itself, a bad thing
Dr. Weiss

However, as oversleeping can also contribute to your sleep debt (by disrupting your sleep schedule) it's better to switch your lazy Saturday mornings for a regular sleep routine all week long.

"The problem is persistently putting yourself through social jet lag and inflicting chronic sleep debt, which may lead to poor health outcomes," says Dr. Weiss.

So after a busy week, it's okay to delay your wake-up a bit. But if you ditch the alarm every weekend and sleep until noon, you're not paying off your sleep debt — you might just be borrowing from the week ahead.

Can you 'bank' sleep?

"Another circumstance in which oversleeping may be beneficial is building a 'sleep bank'," says Dr. Weiss.

This is, to return to the banking metaphor, when you pay more into your account to prepare for a big expense without the risk of touching your overdraft.

The image shows a dark haired woman wearing a beige nightshirt sleeping peacefully in bed — (Image credit: Getty Images)

"In this case, a person would sleep longer hours before creating a sleep debt. For example, sleeping 10 hours a few nights before a night shift," says Dr. Weiss.

With your account flush, you can miss out on some sleep with worrying you'll go into the red.

"Research indicates that oversleeping beforehand reduces the negative effects of sleep debt," says Dr. Weiss. "It works like a savings account, amortizing the overdraft charges when you go into debt."

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Ruth is an experienced Senior Staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things sleep and mattresses. She writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of experts who share her passion. She is also our specialist on memory foam — she’s flown around the world to see memory foam being made — and leads our hotel mattress content. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses, from Helix to Nectar to Simba, to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.

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