What Is Sleep Debt? Modern people often stay up late due to the high work pressure. They think that they can make up for their sleep by sleeping more on weekends. So, can the sleep debt owed during the working day be made up for by sleeping more on weekends?
Whether it’s a student finishing that term paper at two in the morning, a resident working a 20-hour shift or an office administrator with a newborn at home, we’re all getting less sleep.
What is Sleep Debt?
Sleep debt, also called a sleep deficit, is the difference between the amount of sleep someone needs and the amount they actually get. For example, if your body needs eight hours of sleep per night, but only get six- you have two hours of sleep debt.
Since sleep debt is cumulative, going to sleep 30 or 60 minutes later than usual for a few days can quickly add up.
Accumulating sleep debt doesn’t always mean that we feel tired. Research has demonstrated that people can cognitively adapt to chronic sleep restriction, not feeling particularly sleepy even though their body is showing significant declines in physical and mental performance.
If a person goes without sleep for just one night and tries to replace that lost sleep – to repay their full sleep debt in just a day or two, most likely they will be able to regain normal function.
But getting extra sleep does not immediately restore all systems. The neural activity, the metabolic activity, these take much longer to recover, even if you sleep more than you think you need. Recovery is not so simple.
Health Issues Associated with Sleep Debt
Imbalanced sleep can lead to decreased daytime thinking and memory, emotional agitation, reduced alertness, and impaired judgment.
A growing list of studies has connected chronic partial sleep deprivation not just to cognitive deficits but also to changes in hormone secretion, metabolism, weight gain, delayed immune response and other deficits.
The American Journal of Internal Medicine has published that the less people sleep, the greater the risk of developing high blood pressure within 5 years. Other studies have found that getting less than seven hours of sleep can significantly impact overall physical health and increase the risk of stroke and heart disease.
How is Sleep Debt Calculated?
How do you know if you are in sleep debt? Here is a simple way for you.
Let yourself lie down in a quiet room and do nothing.
If you don’t feel sleepy after 15-20 minutes, then congratulations, you are not in sleep debt.
If you are drowsy within 10-15 minutes, the sleep cycle is ok.
If you have your pajamas within 5-10 minutes, you already have sleep debt.
If you are sleepy in less than 5 minutes, then you are very likely to doze off even if you are fully focused, your body is very tired at this time, and you need to pay off your sleep debt!
Tips for Catching up on Sleep
Consistency is key:
Build time into your schedule for sleep and try to keep your bedtime and morning alarm at the same every day, even on weekends.
Keep a diary:
A sleep diary can help you track your sleep patterns and any patterns or practices that are affecting your sleep.
Try an afternoon nap:
Naps may be particularly helpful for shift workers or people who can’t maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
Give it time:
Increase your sleep time slowly, by 15- to 30-minutes at a time, until you reach the optimal amount of sleep for your body.
Talk to your doctor:
A doctor can discuss the possibility of an undiagnosed sleep disorder, like insomnia, and offer personalized tips for improving your sleep.
Conclusion
Fortunately, the short-term effects of sleep deprivation are quickly reversed by getting adequate rest.
Do you want to know if you are getting a good night’s sleep? Try Mintal Tracker App to assess your sleep quality.
