Welcome back to Just Curious, Strong Women’s weekly series exploring all the random health and fitness questions you’ve always wondered about but never got the answer to.

This week, we’re exploring whether going to bed early and having a lie-in can make a difference when you’re feeling tired, or whether you should try a different approach.

Navigating tiredness is something many of us are very familiar with. Ticking off the basics of life is tiring in itself, let alone performing well at work, having an active social life and squeezing in exercise to boot.

It’s why so many of us are now on the hunt for more ways to boost our energy (beyond downing endless cups of coffee), from switching up our eating habits to monitoring our stress levels and exploring different kinds of rest. And we’re now more aware than ever of the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. 

But is it time to rethink what that ‘good night’s sleep’ looks like? Getting as many hours of sleep as possible (ie going to bed early and making time for a lie-in) may seem like your best bet when you’re exhausted, but we know it’s important to stick to a consistent sleep-wake routine for regulating your circadian rhythm, which can make a big difference to how energised you feel throughout the day. So, what should we prioritise?

To get things straight, we spoke to Dr Rebecca Robbins, a sleep scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a sleep expert at Oura Ring. What’s the best way to approach sleep when we’re tired? Below, she explains all.  

Let’s just remind ourselves of why a consistent sleep routine is so beneficial for our overall energy. It’s all to do with the role our circadian rhythm plays in the sleep-wake cycle.

“A consistent routine gives our circadian rhythm vital input on when we should be tired and when we should be alert, and the system correspondingly secretes melatonin, the sleep hormone,” Dr Robbins explains.

This cycle also regulates the release of the stress hormone, cortisol. While too much cortisol can wreak all kinds of havoc, a little bit of the hormone helps us feel awake and ready to tackle the day. Our circadian rhythm is also responsible for controlling this release, so one that’s functioning well will help us to feel more energised.

“A regulated circadian rhythm also allows us to fall asleep faster into a deeper, more restorative sleep that supports our optimal daytime performance, focus, energy and creativity,” Dr Robbins adds. 

When you’re absolutely shattered, crawling into bed as early as possible often feels like the only feasible option. The same can be said for when you want to boost your energy levels the following day – getting a nice early night is often seen as the best way to prepare for a challenging event or task.

But Dr Robbins warns against getting under the covers as early as possible – no matter how appealing it might seem. “If you have been falling short of your personal sleep need, the best way to catch up is by adding a bit of time to your sleep routine but not introducing sweeping changes,” she advises. “If you are exhausted, consider going to bed approximately 15-30 minutes earlier than usual.

“Making drastic changes to our sleep routine can throw us off, so it’s recommended to make minor changes to our typical sleep routine, then make up for additional lost sleep with a nap in the afternoon.” 

It’s worth noting that if you struggle to get to sleep once you’re in bed, having a nap too close to your bedtime will likely make things worse. But if you’re sleeping well and feeling extra tired, Dr Robbins says it’s fine to have a quick afternoon kip – 20 minutes if you’re feeling a bit tired or 90 minutes if you’ve had a week of limited or very short nighttime sleep.  

While you might get away with going to bed a little bit earlier, Dr Robbins stresses that long lie-ins aren’t a good idea for your energy levels, no matter how enjoyable they may be.

“They wreak havoc on our circadian rhythm,” she says. “When we sleep in longer than one hour, we risk our circadian rhythm starting to change to a new time zone, which will increase your risk of insomnia the next night because your internal clock is under the impression you are trying to shift.”

This shift in circadian rhythm could also lead to a delay in the release of cortisol in the morning, which may leave you feeling a bit lethargic.

Of course, sometimes you just want to lie in because it feels good, and that’s OK. Just be aware that if you’re doing so to feel more energised the following day, it may have the opposite effect.

Images: Getty