Is there such thing as sleep debt?
There is. Sleep debt is the result of accumulation from getting less sleep during 24 hours. What causes sleep debt is from sleep deprivation which has two types, partial and total sleep deprivation. Partial sleep deprivation is when we sleep too little for several days or weeks while total sleep deprivation is when we are being kept awake 24 hours. Sleep debt has several effects in our life and body including an effect on mortality.
From personal experience, I notice when I sleep too little even just for a day, it drastically impacts my appetite. On Monday this week, I was only having 2-3 hours sleep before having a very active and busy day. I woke up feeling my brain was hurt due the lack of sleep that night. Throughout the day, I was feeling anxious and skipped some meal in the process. Just when I thought it would end, it didn't.
The sleep deprivation I experienced lasted until today. From the last four days I have been battling sleepiness and excessive daytime sleepiness. It was hard for me to wake up and do things. My energy bar was so low yet my needs for food was high. Eventually, I realized it was all due to lack of sleeping on Monday.
I managed to shake off that sleepiness by getting a good HIIT workout. It helped me ward off the laziness feeling and made me more active than the previous three days. As I am writing this, I am feeling much better and much energized.
To summarize, if you had little sleep here are some tips that you can try :
🔴 Restart your sleeping cycle by sleeping at your normal time.
🔴 Get a good 20-30 minutes workout.
🔴 Avoid greasy and processed food.
🔴 If you find it hard to sleep,try relaxation techniques, whatever works for you.
Again, it's important to realize that we can never cheat sleep. It has such a massive impact in our body which can impact our life performance and longevity. To know how much in average your should sleep for a healthy adult, check out article from Sleep Foundation on, How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
