Sleep Debt: A Modern Epidemic

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What is Sleep Debt? 

Sleep Debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the amount you get. If you only get 6 hours of sleep and you need 8 hours, you are in 2 hours of sleep debt. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, with women needing more than men. The dangerous part about this concept is that it’s quite easy to accumulate more debt in just a short period of time. If you are losing even an hour of sleep each night for a week, you are now in 7 hours of sleep debt. 

Consequences 

The initial effects of sleep debt include increased fatigue, a weakened immune system, and difficulty remaining focused. Your fine motor skills become less sharp and it will also be harder to process information. As you keep gaining more sleep debt without making up for the lost hours, these effects might fall under the radar. While the body is able to adapt to a consistent lack of sleep, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. 

Many underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep but the lasting effects show the true horror of consistent sleep deprivation. Long term consequences include but are not limited to a permanently weakened immune system, decline in physical performance (perhaps in sports), and an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. 

While the full effects of sleep debt are still being studied, we do know that sleep is when we produce immune cells and cytokines, both of which are crucial in maintaining a strong immune system. Sleep deprivation interrupts a properly regulated hormone system and the combination of this along with a weakened immune system puts you at risk for many autoimmune diseases as well as the conditions listed above. 

How to Make Up Sleep Debt? 

A widespread misconception is that one can amend their sleep debt by simply sleeping in on the weekend. Having a misbalance in how much sleep you get during the week days and weekends will still result in unbalanced hormones. To truly get back on a healthy cycle, one must consistently get several more hours of sleep a night than needed until the debt is accounted for. With the rise of intense work-life culture in the US, sleep deprivation is becoming extremely normalized at work and school. By understanding the true dangers of sleep debt, though, we can fight this epidemic, one sleep schedule at a time.