You can bank on it! Sleep debt is the difference between the number of hours of sleep you should get and the number you actually get. In general, adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep every night. So if you’re getting only five hours, you have a sleep debt—or shortfall—of at least two hours each night.
A lack of sleep can happen for many reasons. Your social schedule might keep you up late at night or perhaps work requires you to get up very early in the morning. You might have trouble falling or staying asleep, possibly due to a sleep disorder. It could even be that your bedroom isn’t conducive to sleep or that you don’t properly prepare before you turn in. Whatever the reason, sleep debt can accrue and cause your health to suffer.
The Consequences of Sleep Debt
Being sleep-deprived for even just one night can present problems, causing you to be at an increased risk for accidents, make occupational errors and be unable to think clearly. The consequences become far more significant when sleep debt becomes chronic—when you run short on sleep not just once or twice a week but every night, particularly if the pattern goes on for three months or longer. Your quality of life declines as health issues mount along with an increase in overall mortality.
Sleep debt puts you at greater risk for…
High blood pressure and obesity
Difficulty controlling blood sugar—insulin sensitivity decreases when you’re sleep-deprived. This makes it harder to control diabetes…and if you have prediabetes, it increases the chances that it will progress to diabetes.
Heart disease, including atherosclerosis, a hardening of the blood vessels that can set the stage for heart attack, and the common heart arrythmia atrial fibrillation.
Decreased vaccination efficiency, meaning how well the vaccines will work for you. You become more prone to getting upper respiratory tract infections such as colds and the flu.
Memory problems—chronic sleep deprivation reduces your short-term memory and increases risk for cognitive difficulties and dementia later in life.
How to Measure Sleep Debt
You don’t need a sophisticated sleep debt calculator. Simply keep a sleep log to see how much sleep you’re getting versus how much you should be getting…
Write down your wake-up time each morning
Also note how many times you woke up during the night, but don’t write this down in the moment because that could keep you from falling back to sleep.
Note what time you went to bed and roughly how long you think it took you to fall asleep
It’s fine to approximate as it doesn’t have to be a minute-by-minute process. (Just remember that the sleep clock doesn’t start ticking until you fall asleep, regardless of what time you get into or out of bed.) Then do some quick math to calculate the amount of time you slept.
Note how you feel when you wake up
Are you refreshed after getting restorative sleep…or did you experience sleep disruptors, such as restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea or other medical problems that should be evaluated and treated?
Add up any sleep shortage at the end of every week and keep the log for a month to look for patterns. If you’re consistently missing your sleep goals, talk to your doctor or a sleep specialist to determine what is preventing you from getting the sleep you need.
Does Catch-Up Sleep Help?
Some people try to make up for a workweek shortfall with extra sleep on the weekends. The success of this approach depends on the amount of sleep debt you’re facing. If you miss a few hours on a few nights, you might be able to make up the difference. But if you shortchange yourself Monday through Friday, it’s not possible—and likely not even healthy—to make up 10 hours over two days.
When Sleep Debt Stems from Lifestyle Habits
If you’re not getting enough sleep because you have a hard time falling asleep, consider practicing better sleep hygiene. The following steps can help you get into the right frame of mind, physically and mentally, to fall asleep…
- Turn off all electronic gadgets at least two hours before you want to fall asleep.
- Cut back on nighttime snacking. Avoid heavy, high-fat foods that could cause indigestion.
- Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary—no TV or electronics, not even a phone charger…keep the temperature cool…and create a dark and quiet environment.
- Keep a regular sleep schedule on weekdays and weekends and even during vacation. Keep the wake-up time same…and go to bed when you feel sleepy. Don’t lie in bed if you are not sleeping.
- Wind down. Skip strenuous activity at least two hours before sleep time. Instead, try a relaxation technique such as meditation, a soothing soak or quiet activities like reading from a real book, not a Kindle. Reminder: Skip murder mysteries and other genres that could keep you awake.
