For interviews with Charles Czeisler, MD and Matthew Weaver, MD please contact:
Angela Christoforos, achristoforos@mgb.org; 508-801-2391
New Recommendations Highlight the Importance of Sleep Regularity and the Benefits of Catch-Up Sleep
Charles Czeisler, MD, Professor of Sleep Medicine, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Matthew Weaver, MD, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
A panel of sleep and circadian experts assembled by The National Sleep Foundation and led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, conducted a comprehensive review and provided consensus recommendations on the impact of sleep timing variability and weekend/non-work day catch-up sleep on health and performance.
Recommendations for healthy sleep behavior typically focus on the duration of sleep that is required for health, wellbeing, performance and safety. However, essential components of healthy sleep also include sleep quality, sleep timing and sleep regularity.
The panel concluded that daily regularity in sleep timing is important for health and performance. Regular schedules were associated with improved outcomes across multiple dimensions of health and performance, including alertness, health and safety behaviors, cardiovascular health, metabolic health (including fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and metabolic syndrome), inflammation, mental health (including depression, mood, suicidal ideation), academic performance, cognitive performance, sleep duration, and sleep quality. The study also concluded that when sleep duration is inadequate during the week (or work days), 1 to 2 hours of catch-up sleep on weekends (or non-work days) may be beneficial.
Czeisler, Chair of the consensus panel and corresponding author of this article in Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, noted, “Approximately 70% of US adults fail to attain sufficient sleep on a regular basis, resulting in widespread sleep deficiency. In modern society, variability in sleep timing is nearly always associated with timing of light exposure, meals and activity. Whenever possible, individuals should seek to optimize sleep timing regularity, however, when they are experiencing sleep deficiency, 1 to 2 hours of catch-up sleep on non-work days may be beneficial.”
Weaver, a co-author of the article added, “Growing evidence indicates that circadian misalignment is associated with adverse health outcomes, including metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, cancer and impaired mental health. It is critically important to prioritize regular sleep timing to prevent adverse impacts on health and performance. Consistent timing of bedtimes and wake times are associated with improved outcomes across multiple dimensions of health and performance.”
