Adults normally need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Yet around one-third regularly get too little sleep, according to Healthline, citing research published in Preventing Chronic Disease.
When you get too little sleep for several nights in a row, you build up sleep debt. Put simply, the hours of sleep you miss accumulate over time.
The longer you stay awake, the more adenosine builds up in the brain. This increases the need for sleep.
If the body does not get enough sleep, it also does not have the opportunity to fully restore its balance.
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More than tiredness
Sleep deprivation is not just about feeling tired the next day. According to the research, getting too little sleep can affect brain activity, heart rate and blood flow, among other things.
Studies have also linked sleep deprivation to increased hunger, problems with the body's regulation of blood sugar and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Longer periods of insufficient sleep have also been associated with cardiovascular disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also states that sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system.
Sleep can be recovered
The good news is that short-term sleep debt can be recovered by getting more sleep afterwards. However, the body does not necessarily recover immediately.
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A study published in Scientific Reports found that it can take around four days to fully recover from one hour of lost sleep.
A more recent research review published in Sleep Advances also found that tiredness may disappear after two to three days, while the effects on brain function can persist for longer.
With long-term sleep debt, recovery can be more difficult.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.