It may be possible to recover from short-term sleep debt and regain normal function by sleeping longer in the days following the lost sleep, but there is no scientific evidence to back up the idea that you can “make up” for lost sleep by sleeping more. [2] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source If, for instance, you lost 10 hours of sleep during one week, you could recover from your sleep debt by sleeping an additional three to four hours during the weekend. Then, during the next week, you would need to sleep an additional hour each day until the debt is “repaid. " So, if you slept an extra four hours during the weekend, you would need to add an hour of sleep to your normal seven to nine hours of sleep for the next six days in order to recuperate. [3] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School’s Educational Site for the Public Go to source Even if you make up your deficit with extra sleep, this will not immediately bring you back to normal. Your neural and metabolic systems will take much longer to recover. [4] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source Instead of telling yourself that you can make up for a sleepless night or getting too few hours of sleep every night by sleeping in on the weekend, focus on creating a sleep routine that ensures you get adequate sleep every night.
If the sleep lost is chronic (greater than one month), it should be addressed by medical professional to identify the cause of insomnia. This may be primary insomnia (caused pain or a disease or condition) or secondary to behavior which causes insomnia (stimulant use before bed, exercise before bed or activating activities, etc. ). Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you need eight hours of sleep but you are only sleeping five hours every weeknight, you will have racked up 15 hours of sleep debt by the weekend. If this continues every week, you will have 60 hours of sleep debt by the end of the month. Long-term sleep debt requires a considerable amount of time to “repay” — it will take far more than a few extra hours on the weekend to bring your body back to normal. While sleeping in on the weekend may help you feel more rested on Monday, you will still suffer the neurological and metabolic consequences of lack of sleep — reduced ability to focus, for instance. Sleeping late or napping on the weekends may interfere with your circadian rhythm, making it difficult for you to fall asleep at bedtime, thus being counterproductive in fixing the sleeping issue. [6] X Research source Again, instead of thinking about how you can make up for that lost sleep later, think about how to ensure you get enough sleep every night. Setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it, as well as practicing good sleep hygiene, will help you reach a normal state of alertness and functioning. [7] X Research source
Go to bed at a reasonable time, or around the time you would like to sleep every night, and turn off your alarm clock. Allow yourself to sleep until you wake up naturally, feeling rested. The first few nights you may sleep for a very long time thanks to your sleep debt. Go to bed every night at the same time with no alarm. After a few days, you should start to wake up naturally at the same time every morning. This will give you an idea of how much sleep you need each night.
Once you know how much sleep you need each night, you can work on arranging your life to accommodate that number. This might mean you have to go to bed earlier than you used to (maybe at 10pm instead of 12:30am), or you have to move your 6am workout to a later time. Stick to the same schedule as much as possible. Ease into your sleep schedule. Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach your new bedtime, rather than making big changes.
Avoid confrontation or emotionally upsetting conversations at bedtime. If you’re upset about something, write it down and tell yourself you will deal with it in the morning. Using positive coping strategies can help avoid negative coping strategies and equate better health in long run — both mentally and physically.
Keep your room cool when sleeping. Experts recommend keeping the thermostat set between 60 to 67°F (15. 6 to 19. 4°C). [12] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Block out external noises. Use earplugs or a sound machine to block out any sounds that might keep you awake. A fan can be a good source of white noise and keep you cool at the same time. Use your bed only for sleeping and sex. Working in your bed or even watching TV in bed can confuse your body. Train it to recognize that when your body hits the mattress, it’s time to go to sleep.
Take advantage of napping to help repay short term sleep debt, but limit it to just an hour or two to prevent missing more sleep that night. If you find yourself napping regularly, this is a good indication that you are likely not getting enough sleep at night. Consider adjusting your schedule to give yourself more time to sleep, either by going to sleep earlier or waking up later (or sometimes both).
Avoid exercising too close to your bedtime as it may make it difficult to fall asleep. Exercise increases blood flow and releases endorphins into the system, which can increase energy. This can be great to give you energy to power through your day, but can become problematic when you’re still feeling the energy-boosting effects and you’re trying to relax and fall asleep. Some kinds of slow paced exercises like yoga or stretching are okay near bed time and may help you to relax.
In addition, avoid eating too close to bedtime, as this can disrupt your sleep as well. [16] X Research source
People under thirteen years of age should get between ten and thirteen hours of sleep per night. Teenagers through seventeen years old should get eight to ten hours of sleep each night. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep to maintain their health and feel alert during the day.
Even if you think you get enough sleep, experiencing daytime sleepiness can be an indicator that you should allow yourself to get more, or could it be indicator that there is medical condition that is decreasing oxygenation while you sleep (sleep apnea), periodic limb movement disorder, or restless leg syndrome, or some combination of these things. Daytime sleepiness may not be caused simply by not sleeping enough the night before, it could also be indicative of an outstanding sleep debt caused by missing too much sleep on previous nights.
If it is difficult to pay attention or understand things on a regular basis, you are likely not allowing yourself to get enough sleep. Consider changing your sleeping habits to increase your attentiveness and ability to comprehend things you are working on throughout the day. If fixing your sleeping schedule does not resolve these issues, see your doctor for an evaluation. These can be symptoms of other underlying medical disorder as well.
Lost sleep can inhibit your ability to cope with stressors in your life and make things feel worse than they are. Operating at a sleep deficit can make you feel stressed even in the absence of significant stressors. If increased stress is causing sleepless nights, consider talking to mental health professional to help you identify signs/symptoms of anxiety, depression, or another possible disorder. A mental health professional can help you learn better ways to cope with stress.
