4 Rules For Healthy Lie-Ins, According To Sleep Experts

Woman sleepingI have something to confess: even though I’ve written before about how unhealthy lie-ins lasting more than an hour are meant to be for us, I still manage at least one a weekend. I can’t help it, I tell myself. I’ve always struggled with my sleep, and “social jet lag” feels like a small price to pay for an extra couple of hours’ snoozing.Surely, I figured, sleep experts must sometimes skip a couple of alarms of a Sunday morning, too? So, I asked some to share their “rules” for healthy lie-ins, if such a thing exists.1) Don’t rely on lie-ins to replace good sleepThough all of the sleep experts I spoke to said the odd lie-in won’t hurt you, the caveats “occasional” and “once in a while” were used more often than I perhaps hoped.That’s because, Dr Hana Patel, an NHS GP and resident sleep expert at Time4Sleep, said, “there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that keeping a regular sleeping pattern has positive impacts on our mental and physical health.“This is because it allows us to harmonise with our body’s natural rhythm, which is key for maximising energy, mood and immune system support.” An adequate weekday sleep schedule should be enough to keep you rested.2) Pay attention to how lie-ins make you feel (including in the following days)Hannah Shore, a sleep scientist at Mattress Online, said that how you feel at the end of the week and the start of the work week can signal that your sleep schedule has been knocked out of whack. “Lie-ins aren’t all bad, our body needs sleep to function properly, so if the option is no sleep or sleep, then sleep should always be the winner,” she told HuffPost UK. But “if you have issues falling asleep, particularly on a Sunday, and Monday mornings are a bit of a struggle, it could be worth adapting your sleep/wake schedule”. Dr Patel agreed, writing: “If you have low energy and brain fog most work weeks, sticking to a consistent sleep schedule is certainly worth a try”.3) Waking up does not necessarily mean getting up If, like me, you dread the thought of losing your weekend lounging time, Shore has a helpful clarification.The key is maintaining your sleep/wake schedule, she explained: “By falling asleep at the same time and waking up at the same time every day, your body starts to regulate the right hormones to help you do so easily”. With that said, while you should “Still wake up at the same time every day, waking up doesn’t mean getting up.“Have your morning brew in bed and lounge” if you like, she advised.4) Don’t seek perfectionIt sounds a little counterintuitive and paradoxical, but some experts advise against “orthosomnia,” an obsession with achieving perfect sleep.Ironically, worrying too much about your kip can keep you up at night. Perhaps that’s why Dr Rachel Dillinger, a psychiatrist at Extraordinary Minds Psychiatry, says, “If you’re jet lagged, sick, or have had an unusual few days, go ahead and listen to what your body needs.” If that’s a lie-in, so be it. “Don’t worry if you’re a little bit off every now and then, or if you have a few long nights every month. The key here is to build consistent habits, not to achieve perfection,” Dr Patel agreed. Related...Here's When 'Restless' Sleep Can Be A Dementia 'Warning Sign'3 Foods An Expert Thinks Are Ruining Your SleepSo THAT's Why Our Eyes Move During REM Sleep

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