We asked five experts: is it possible to catch up on sleep?

It’s Friday and you’re clocking off, and after a few sleepless nights you want to tuck yourself up early and catch up on all the sleep you’ve lost. But does it really work that way?

During sleep our memories from the day are solidified and our brain does a bit of a clean-up sorting through the things we need to hold onto and discard from the day. We also get the rest we need to ensure we can function properly the following day.

But not all of us manage to get eight hours sleep per night, and might miss out on some of these benefits. So we asked five experts if it’s possible to catch up on missed sleep later.

Three out of five experts said yes

Here are their detailed responses:

If you have a “yes or no” health question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: alexandra.hansen@theconversation.edu.au