Gaining an hour won't help you catch up on lost sleep, new study shows

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The best part of changing our clock is that we gain an hour of sleep -- or do we?

Sleep experts say new evidence shows that doesn't make up for all the other hours we've lost.

"Falling back" is a good time to evaluate just how well we sleep.

But more than one in three Americans fall very short on their beauty rest.

"Sleep is the VIP service everybody needs," said sleep expert and consultant Leandre Schoeman.

New research finds your brain and body cannot catch up on missed shuteye by sleeping in on the weekends. A recent review published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences found sleep deprivation in mice led to cell death in the brain after just a few days. It also caused inflammation in the prefrontal cortex and increased levels of proteins linked to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

"Regardless of age, sleep is so important to our system. It affects basically every area of our life," Schoeman said.

Her advice is to get yourself on schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and quiet. Don't take naps after 3 p.m. or nap longer than 20 minutes. Avoid caffeine and alcohol throughout the day. If you can't fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something calming like stretching. And if you're really struggling, talk to your doctor about medication options.

So far, there's no ethical way to measure cell damage done by sleep loss in a living human, but in the sleep-deprived mice scientists say they still suffered cellular damage even after a full year of regular sleep -- suggesting you can't undo the effects.