Making Up for Lost Sleep
GRIFFIN: All right. Does this sound like you? You burn the midnight oil and then you're up early and head to work every day and then on the weekends you catch up on all of that extra sleep? Do you really catch up on your extra sleep? Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. Elizabeth, can you really do you that? I thought it was a myth?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Gosh, I hope so. Because I do it all of the time. And I bet you do, too.</s>GRIFFIN: I do. Well -</s>COHEN: It's the only time you can catch up on that sleep sometimes is to sleep extra on the weekend. Well, some researchers were wondering does that really sort of clear up your sleep deficit to take those naps? To sleep late on the weekends? So what they did is they took 150 healthy adults, put them in a lab, and allowed them to sleep only four hours a night for five nights, trying to sort of simulate a busy week and then on that sixth night, they were allowed to get two to 10 hours recovery sleep, extra sleep and then they test it. They did some cognitive testing all the way through and what they found is that after that sixth night of getting that extra sleep, people's cognitive abilities did improve. So they did see that they were able to recoup, at least to some extent, from that difficult work week of sleep deficit.</s>GRIFFIN: I can see where the sleep would make them feel better the day after the sleep, but can you actually make up for it? Like, if I sleep four hours, can I sleep eight hours the next night and then that four hours would dissipate somehow from my sleep deprivation?</s>COHEN: Somehow, to some extent. That's how I would put it. That's how the researchers put it, that it helps somewhat but there is still no replacement for getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night, all the time. So you can catch up a bit but it's not going to be the same, if you had a good night's sleep all the time.</s>GRIFFIN: so what is a good night's sleep all the time? And how can you work that in - it seems silly to say that, work sleep into your schedule?</s>COHEN: Well, you know, it isn't silly because one of the experts we talked to says you really have to schedule sleep these days. You have to schedule it. Think about I'm going to go to bed at this time, I'm going to wake up at this time and really make it an important priority. A good night's sleep is between seven to eight hours. Of course, it's different for everyone, and I know we've all heard the advice of about, you know, maybe having a glass of warm milk before you go to bed or try to relax. One thing that I think is important to people, don't think about, is that you need to put down the cell phone. People are on their cell phones sometimes lying in bed, you know, that sort of last-minute text or e-mail or for some people tweets. And then they put it down, then they go to sleep. Well, your brain is kind of revved up, from all that work you are doing, plus you got these lights shining in your eyes from the cell phone. That's also not good. So put that cell phone away. All those texts can wait until the morning.</s>GRIFFIN: Just need my mom to tell me what my bedtime is.</s>COHEN: I know.</s>GRIFFIN: And put away that cell phone, you know.</s>COHEN: Exactly. Put away your toys, Drew. Exactly, I know. We all need mom. That is definitely true.</s>GRIFFIN: Thanks, interesting. Well, the Gulf oil disaster and the safety of seafood. Would you think twice before chowing down on the region's favorites? Your answer has a large impact on how that area is going to recover.