ELi5: Experts say you can’t “pre-sleep” and also can’t catch up on lost sleep; what exactly does that mean? Since it’s not like I feel tired for the rest of my life after missing a night’s sleep, after a few days of good sleep I’m back to normal.

Question

Does “not being able to catch up on lost sleep” mean that every night of lost sleep accumulates to a shorter life span, more illness, or something of the sort?

In: Biology

Answer 1

They mean you can’t sleep for a week, and then stay awake for a week. Being awake drains your batteries, and you can run on empty, but your battery only holds so much power. You can’t pre fill it to last longer. And if you run on empty for really long, it’s still the same battery you’re charging.