Intro: It's Tanesha Nicole. And this is an episode of Ask a Scientist About Sleep and Your Health with Doctor Marisha Brown from the National Heart, lung and blood Institute at NIH. 
 
TN: Doctor Brown, if I don't sleep well during the week, I can just catch up later and be fine, right? 
 
MB: Absolutely not. Research has shown that if you are sleep deprived throughout the week, you may be able to protect your cognition where you can be cognitively alert. However, your sleep health is not just about the amount of sleep you get. It's about getting sleep at the appropriate time. 

MB: So even if I feel more awake sleeping in or taking an extra nap isn't enough. Even if you're protecting your cognition, you're not protecting your heart. You're not protecting your liver. You're not protecting other parts of your body that require sleep to function properly. There's a big difference between alert and being healthy. 
 
Outro: For more about the science of sleep, visit NHS lobbying nih.gov.