We all hear about how important sleep is, but sometimes good sleep can be so elusive. We find ourselves still awake at 12:30 a.m. thinking, “I’ll go to sleep in a few minutes. My homework is finally done, and it’s been a long day. I’ll just go on my phone for a little bit.”
A few minutes go by, then 10, then 30. Two hours later we finally drift off into slumber out of sheer fatigue from the long day of work and school, mixed with endless scrolling on TikTok. In the morning, we allow ourselves “just five more minutes” as we groggily push snooze on the alarm (often more than once). Eventually, we stumble out of bed for another sleepy start to a day on only five hours of rest. Rinse and repeat.
The scenario described above will inevitably snowball into a sleep debt. Sleep deficit is the difference between how much sleep you get and how much you actually need. That daily deficit adds up over time to create sleep debt. This kind of debt can only be paid off by getting enough sleep on a regular basis.
Continually getting less than the recommended amount of sleep racks up debt quickly, and greatly affects your waking performance. Sleep debt results in slow thinking, mood disorders, fatigue, and weakened immune system among other symptoms. Causes of sleep debt stem from a myriad of factors such as busy school schedules, long work hours, and poor lifestyle choices. With the advent of portable electronic devices that emit blue light (fluorescent and LED back-lit lights from electronic screens), sleep is strongly impacted and disrupted.
For my own research, and to cure personal curiosity, I made a survey on Instagram asking my fellow peers what causes them to fall into sleep debt and how that debt affects them. I received 16 responses from my lovely friends. Since they are all college-age, this survey was really expressing a collective experience among early adult populations. The responses were similar across the participants, with a few variations. The most common answer for the causes of sleep deprivation/disruption was stress and anxiety from school and work. Other answers included screen usage, vivid dreams, and upset stomach. Unsurprisingly, the main effects of sleep deprivation that were reported include fatigue, throbbing headaches, moodiness and feelings of anger.
Don’t worry, all is not lost. While you cannot reverse sleep debt once it is accumulated, you can prevent it! And also, if you are already “in debt,” getting sufficient sleep will reverse the negative effects. First and foremost, the primary way to avoid sleep debt is to get enough sleep on a daily basis. To do this, first pinpoint the factors behind your restlessness and create a plan to increase restfulness and sleep. If the problem is stress, create a comfortable environment by cooling your bedroom, blocking out any noise, and dimming any harsh lights to promote relaxation. If sleeplessness arises from screens and social media, give yourself at least one hour before bed to shut off all devices that emit blue light, which will ease your body and mind into more deep and restful sleep. If you struggle to get to bed on time, try following a sleep schedule and planning out a specific nightly routine. Finally, make sure you don’t take caffeine, food, or alcohol before bed, as that can disrupt your sleep. Experiment with multiple strategies and find the strategies that feel right for you.
If the end goal is getting enough sleep, creating personal strategies and changing habits is what will be most beneficial. Some students will rely on sleeping in on the weekends or even taking short naps to make up lost sleep time. However, research shows that those strategies don’t actually make up for lost sleep time. In fact, varying sleep schedules can perpetuate sleep debt in the long run. Consistent sleeping and waking times throughout the week can promote consistent sleep quality.
Most college students can tell you what it’s like to experience sleep debt, and can describe the negative impacts that debt can leave behind. There is a price that we pay from the accumulation of sleep debt. Although it may seem all too easy to withdraw hours from our sleep banks, with the right currency, we can pay it back and achieve the restful sleep that we deserve.
Sources:
WebMD. (n.d.). Sleep debt: What is it, consequences, and more. WebMD. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/what-is-sleep-debt
Sleep debt: Can you catch up on sleep? Sleep Foundation. (2023, January 18). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-debt-and-catch-up-sleep
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 1). The color of the light affects the circadian rhythms, cont. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/color_cont.html
Haden, G. (2020, February 24). What is sleep debt and how do you get rid of it? Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.mana.md/what-is-sleep-debt-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-it/