Sleep Debt: What is 'sleep debt', know what is the right way to compensate for incomplete sleep?

Sleep Debt Meaning: In today's busy life, people often compromise on sleep between work, family, and social responsibilities. Working late at night or using the phone, and getting up early in the morning has become a common thing. But do you know that this process of sleeping less every night can take a toll on your body? This is called 'sleep debt' in the world of health. It is not a financial debt, but it is the accumulated loss of your sleep.

If you sleep less than you need every night, this deficiency accumulates and badly affects your physical and mental health. Let us know in detail in this article what sleep debt is and how you can compensate for it.

What is sleep debt?

Sleep debt means getting less sleep than your body needs. For example, if a person needs 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy, but he sleeps only 6 hours for 5 consecutive days, then he has accumulated a sleep debt of 10 hours (2 hours per day × 5 days).

This lack of sleep cannot be fulfilled in one or two nights, but it gradually keeps having a negative effect on your body. It is important to understand that sleep is a basic need of our body.

Physical and mental disadvantages of sleep debt

The biggest disadvantage of sleep debt is that it spoils the quality of your daily life. Due to this, you may feel tired, lethargic, and irritable throughout the day. It also affects your concentration and decision-making ability, which increases the chances of making mistakes at work.

Lack of sleep for a long time weakens the body's immunity, due to which you can fall ill quickly. Apart from this, it increases the level of stress and can also increase the risk of serious diseases like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

How to compensate for sleep debt?

The best way to pay off 'sleep debt' is not to compensate for it by sleeping for 12-14 hours on weekends. Doing this can disturb your 'circadian rhythm' i.e., the biological clock of the body. Take some small and effective steps to compensate for this-

Try to sleep 15-30 minutes earlier every night.

You can take a short nap of 20-30 minutes in the afternoon. This is called a power nap and it will make you feel refreshed.

Make it a habit to sleep and wake up at a fixed time every day, even on weekends.

Sleep debt is a real and serious problem that should not be ignored. Its solution is not like any magic, but it can be cured only by making positive changes in lifestyle. Make your sleep your priority. A good and complete sleep can help you live a better life.

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