Uncomfortable Facts About Sleep Debt and What It Will Cost You to Pay It Off

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep your body needs and the amount you actually get. Like financial debt, it builds up over time if you regularly miss out on rest. The more you owe, the more it affects your mood, focus, and health until you “pay it back” with proper sleep.

WORDS LIM TECK CHOON

FACT 1

When you forgo sleep to do something else, such as working, bingeing on shows, or playing video games late into the night, you are incurring a ‘sleep debt’.

FACT 2

Sleep debt is not just a matter of missing sleep occasionally.

People that do this tend to skip sleep as much as possible over long periods of time.

FACT 3

Over time, your sleep debt can negatively impact our health.

It has been linked to a wide range of health issues as well as hindering our recovery from injuries.

• Weight gain and obesity, due to increased food intake, decreased energy expenditure, and changes in levels of appetite-regulating hormones.
• Affects emotional processing and cognitive functions that rely on this process. This is because sleep deprivation may disrupt the brain at a molecular level. It can also lead to formation of false or inaccurate memories.
• Harmful impact on carbohydrate metabolism and endocrine function.
• Increase the severity of age-related chronic disorders.
• Increase insulin resistance and decrease glucose tolerance. This puts one at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or if one already has this condition, making the condition more severe. Note that sleep deprivation also increases the risk of obesity, one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

FACT 4

You can repay your sleep debt.

For example, if you stayed up late on Friday for overtime work, it is as simple as sleeping more than usual on Saturday.

FACT 5

However, experts believe that your body takes a longer time than usual to enjoy the benefits of a good night’s sleep when you are paying off the sleep debt.

FACT 6

Hence, it is better to avoid accumulating sleep debt in the first place!

• If you find yourself skipping sleep often over long periods of time, consider adjusting your schedule so that you can still prioritize sleep.
• Adopting good sleep hygiene is a good way to get the most out of your sleep.