Beech Tree News Network

I’ve been thinking about sleep patterns recently. Many family members and friends struggle with insomnia or health problems that result in lost sleep. In an article entitled “8 Health Benefits of Sleep” (sleepfoundation.org) by Jay Vera Summer and Dr. Abhinav Singh, I read: “While sleeping, the body performs a number of repairing and maintaining processes that affect nearly every part of the body.” Getting enough sleep is definitely essential.

Thinking about sleep patterns, I asked friends and family: “Do you ever try to catch up on your sleep?” Their responses are listed below.

-Every day! Especially when it’s hot like now.

-I need to catch up! Yes, I do try to catch up on the weekends. I sleep until 7 AM instead of 5 AM.

-Yes! I nap any chance I get.

-Yeah, right!

-Yes! I sleep late any time I can and nap every chance I get.

-Yes, on Sundays, I try to sleep in a little extra before church and not work. 

-Every chance I get.

-No, I have a difficult time sleeping these days. My back hurts the worst when I lay down.

-When my body tells me it’s time to slow down, I’ve learned through the years to listen and rest!

-Oh, yeah. No sleep one night, nap next day and early to bed….

-Research suggests that catching up on sleep is not effective, but I try sometimes anyway. At this stage in my life, I find that I feel better, mentally and physically, after intentional rest periods. 

-Usually if I have a bad night and don’t sleep well, by the time I get through my day and bedtime arrives, I crash until the next morning. 

-No. Toddlers have a default setting to ruin that. 

-Yes, I become very emotional and easily irritated if I don’t have my normal amount of sleep.

-I have no time to nap anymore.

-I didn’t use to, but now realize how important it is.

-I try to occasionally. It seems to help to sleep more hours than usual when I can, but I don’t know if it really does help.

-Not generally. I read an article once that said your body doesn’t work that way, so I’ve never really tried since.

-All the time! If I don’t get any sleep at all, I’m down for two days.

-No, I’m not a sleeper at all! I can’t nap and can’t sleep very well at night. 

-I’ve tried; but if I sleep during the day, I can’t sleep at night. It’s a losing battle!

-Yes, I try really hard, but my internal alarm clock starts going off about 5 AM.

-No, I think I heard that the Navy Seals proved that you can’t catch up on sleep, so I don’t bother.

-I have been wearing a Whoop, which tracks my sleep, and I am fascinated. It refers to “sleep debt,” which makes me think that we are able to catch up or recover. I do try to catch up on sleep, and whether I’m actually “catching up” or not, I feel better!

-Catching up on sleep may sound trivial; however, being sleep deprived is a serious issue for a person’s health. We all blame stress for not being able to sleep, but maybe the lack of sleep we experience is the cause of our stress! Not being able to focus properly, forgetting minor details, and getting agitated over minor issues…. Working night shifts makes it very difficult as your entire sleep pattern is opposite of what the body feels is normal. Getting an adequate amount of sleep becomes harder and getting naps when the opportunity arises becomes crucial for normal functioning.

Better Homes and Gardens (July/August 2025, p. 98) reported that “scientists tracked people who averaged less than seven hours of sleep a night for 14 years and found that those who got the most z’s on the weekends (at least 1 ½ hours more than during the week) were about 20 percent less likely to have heart disease.” This finding seems to indicate that if one cannot sleep the ideal seven to eight hours, then sleeping more another night is still helpful. Thus, trying to catch up on sleep seems to be a healthy practice.

Thomas Dekker said, “Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together,” and JoJo Jensen said, “Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.” True words. So, it’s nice to know that catching up on missed sleep is beneficial.