Why does my 15 hours of sleep on the weekend not counteract the 4 hours I get on a weeknight?
In: Biology
Other people have given great answers, but to add – sleep debt is not a very accurate name for chronically under-sleeping.
Sleep debt is more like cumulative damage to your well-being, some of which can be repaired by healthy sleep habits.
It’s really important that people know that sleep debt isn’t something you can repay 1:1, you can’t constantly get 4-5 hours of sleep and “catch up” on the weekend and be square.
There was a guy who took this to the extreme in the 90’s, inspired by a radio contest. He stayed awake for 11 days, setting a record. When he finally did sleep, if memory serves, he slept like 10 hours? He developed permanent brain damage, antisocial tendencies, and permanent severe insomnia. (And honestly, he’s lucky to be alive.)
The moral of the story, 5 hours on Thursday night and 11 hours on Friday night does not equal 8 and 8. Be careful out there, folks.
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