Our culture tends to reward multitasking, sleep-deprived go-getters, but a new study confirms that catching up on sleep over the weekend just doesn’t work. After weeks of less than seven to nine hours a night, “banking” a long stretch on your days off isn’t going to repair your memory, immune system or ability to drive a car.

As The Associated Press explains: “The well-rested can catch up from the occasional all-nighter fairly easily. But as the study wore on and the volunteers became more sleep-deprived, the rejuvenation they felt each time they awoke increasingly proved a facade, [Dr. Daniel] Cohen reported Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.”

OK, we get it. Human beings need loads of sleep. So how are we supposed to square that with the research that says our sedentary lifestyles are killing us?

Should we sleep half the day, then — if we have a white-collar job — spend our on-the-job hours working from a treadmill? Come on, science. This isn’t helping us live better — it’s just a guilt trip. — PZS

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