One third of Americans run into debt every night that they may never be able to repay: sleep debt.
This is where the concept of “sleep catch-up” comes in: trying to squeeze in extra hours of sleep on the days after a bad sleep streak. For example sleeping in at the weekend.
But actually protect those extra hours of sleep from the Health risks from sleep deprivation?
Study results on this topic are mixed, but after looking at the research and speaking to some experts, we can say that catching up on sleep seems possible, but difficult to achieve.
Why it’s hard to catch up on sleep
psychiatrists and sleep physicians, Alex DimitriShe believes you can catch up on sleep, but only if you don’t let your sleep deprivation get too bad. By definition, an hour lost of sleep is equivalent one hour sleep debt.
“When the sleep deficit is larger, the recovery time becomes significantly longer and full recovery may not be possible, so it’s important not to let the sleep deficit go too far,” says Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicineinsiders said.
It’s important to keep your sleep deficit in check because “over the long term, insufficient sleep can lead to medical problems like obesity, cardiovascular diseaseincreased risk for Cancerand immune dysfunction,” said James A Rowleyformer President of Foundation of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Perhaps the most intriguing results of sleep deprivation and recovery time came from a small to learn That is, for every hour of sleep debt, a person would need four straight nights seven to nine hours of high quality Zzzs to fully recover.
So if you need seven hours of sleep a night but only get six during the work week, you would be piling up five hours of sleep debt next Friday.
According to the study’s predictions, this means you need about 20 days of consistent quality sleep to fully recover.
So probably sleep in for a few hours on the weekend won’t fix that.
“While you can catch up an hour or two on the weekend, you can’t catch up on lack of sleep all week simply by getting those extra hours,” Rowley said.
That’s what a 17-year-old said in 1963 Stayed up 11 days for a scientific project. He struggled with transient nausea and memory loss but said he felt normal again after 14 hours of sleep.
While Dimitriu would not like to have this experiment repeated by his patients or others, it’s worth noting that there is more room for studies into how longer periods of sleep affect the health risks of people who are already chronically sleep deprived.
And if the weekend is the only time you can find sleep, it’s “better to gain weight.” [sleep hours] at the weekend instead of not doing it at all”, Professor of Biological Psychology at Stockholm University Insider’s Lyndsay Dodgson said.
So what can you do when you’re like this a third of Americans Who gets less than six hours of sleep a night?
How to pay off sleep debts
Paying off sleeping debt is like paying off credit card debt: try to pay off all or as much of the balance as possible so the debt doesn’t get too big.
That means not waiting until the weekend to catch up on a week’s lost sleep. If instead you miss an hour or two of sleep, try to make it up the next day right away, either with a nap – 20 to 30 minutes is best – or sleep well the next night.
Most importantly, you set a sleep schedule and stick to it. “Sleep loves regularity and rhythm,” Dimitriu said, because it maintains a constant circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, often referred to as your internal clock, influences a whole range of important bodily functionsincluding temperature regulation, hormone control, memory, concentration and – of course – sleep.
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule — also known as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day — is an important way to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm and, consequently, a healthier you. So sleep in may not be the best optionand short naps might be better.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done, and not everyone can change their schedule to accommodate more sleep.
For example if you are work night shiftshave multiple jobs or have to get the kids out early in the morning, you are more likely Have sleep debts but are less flexible about addressing them. Do your best to get as much sleep as possible.
“In these circumstances, just finding 15 more minutes a night can make a big difference,” Rowley said.
It can also pay off to think outside the box. For example, a recent study found that when switching from a 5 day week to a 4 day week At work week, the percentage of those who got less than seven hours of sleep per night fell from 42.6 percent to 14.5 percent.
However, you choose to pack more sleep, but remember that sleep is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
“Sleep should be considered in the same way as diet and exercise, one of the pillars of overall good health, and should be prioritized as much as they are,” Rowley said.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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