Key takeaways:
Sleep debt is the difference between how much sleep you need and how much sleep you get every night. Medical conditions and lifestyle choices often interfere with sleep, causing sleep debt.
Many people don’t get as much sleep as they need. Not getting enough sleep can increase the risk of health conditions, such as obesity, cancer, and heart disease.
You may be able to catch up on some lost sleep by getting extra sleep for several days. Practice good sleep hygiene, like going to bed at the same time every night, to prevent sleep debt.
Many people don’t get as much sleep as they need, making sleep debt very common. In fact, the CDC estimates that roughly 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. That’s noteworthy because lack of sleep can affect your overall health and even reduce your lifespan.
The good news is you may be able to get out of sleep debt. You can get consistent, high-quality shuteye with a few tweaks to your routine.
What is sleep debt?
Sleep debt, or a sleep deficit, occurs when you don’t get enough sleep over a period of time. It's the difference between how much sleep you need and how much sleep you actually get every night. Everyone is different, but most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. So, for example, if you need 7 hours of sleep but get 5 hours, you would be in 2-hour sleep debt for the night. If you regularly get fewer than 7 hours, this sleep debt can start to affect your body.
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What causes sleep debt?
There are many reasons why you may not get enough sleep or good quality rest, including:
Medical reasons: For example, insomnia keeps you from getting enough sleep. And sleep apnea can worsen your sleep quality. Some medications — like stimulants — can cause insomnia or reduce sleep quality.
Nonmedical reasons: Lifestyle factors can also increase your sleep debt over time. Examples include maintaining busy work schedules, having young children, and using electronics before bed. Caffeine or alcohol use can also reduce sleep quality.
How much sleep is enough to prevent sleep debt?
How much sleep you need changes throughout your life. In general, people tend to sleep less as they age. Here’s how much sleep people need by age group:
Babies: 16 to 18 hours a day
School-age children: 9.5 hours
Adults: 7 to 9 hours
Adults older than 65 years: may sleep fewer than 7 to 9 hours
Keep in mind, these numbers are averages. Everyone is different, and some people may need a little more or a little less sleep.
Sleep debt symptoms: What can happen if you don’t get enough sleep?
Over time, not getting enough sleep can affect many different body systems. The effects you may notice the most are on your nervous system. You may feel tired or drowsy during the day. Importantly, not getting enough sleep can:
Worsen your mood
Slow your creativity
Decrease your alertness and reaction time
Make it harder to concentrate
In bed on time and still can’t sleep? Consider relaxing activities to help you fall asleep faster.
Try yoga to unwind before bed. These soothing yoga poses could help you get a restful night’s sleep.
What about CBD oil? Find out how CBD oil helped one woman get better sleep.
Sleep debt can also affect other body systems. Not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of:
Infections, including the common cold
Various cancers
Can you fix sleep debt?
Possibly, but it may take a few days. Catching up on lost sleep may also depend on how many hours of sleep debt you’re trying to make up.
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Imagine that you could stay in bed for 14 hours a day. How long would you sleep — and for how many nights in a row? According to some research, people with sleep debt, when given the opportunity, slept 12 hours for several days. But then they returned to sleeping 7 to 9 hours a night.
Other research suggests that getting more sleep on the weekend may not be enough to fully recover from sleep debt during the week. This means that it might be possible to catch up on sleep. But most people may not have enough time to catch up fully.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sleep in when you can. According to a recent study, it could be good for your heart. Researchers found that people who caught up on sleep during weekends had a lower risk of heart disease. The risk was even lower for those who regularly didn’t get enough sleep on weekdays.
Do naps help with sleep debt?
Yes, naps may help if you don’t have enough time to catch up completely. But naps aren’t enough to avoid or reduce the long-term effects of insufficient sleep. Napping can increase alertness and reduce stress.
It’s important to keep in mind that catching up on sleep will not reverse the consequences of sleep deprivation that have already happened.
How long does it take to catch up on sleep?
Just like different people need different amounts of sleep, how long it takes to catch up on sleep will vary from person to person. However, we do have a general idea of how long it takes to recover from sleep debt.
According to one small study, if you miss out on just 1 hour of sleep, it can take up to 4 days to recover. And depending on how much sleep debt you have, it can take up to 9 days to completely eliminate it and get your body back to a healthy baseline.
This evidence supports the idea that the best method to deal with sleep debt is to avoid it in the first place by practicing good sleep hygiene.
Is it possible to prevent sleep debt?
Yes. The best way to reduce the consequences of sleep debt is to prevent it in the first place. And the best way to prevent sleep debt is to follow a predictable sleep schedule and maintain good sleep hygiene. Consider the following tips to help you catch up on sleep or prevent sleep debt altogether.
Take an afternoon nap. A short nap during the day can help you make up for lost sleep and boost your energy levels. Try to keep it under 30 minutes, as longer naps can leave you feeling sluggish.
Gradually increase sleep time. If you have short-term sleep debt, try adding 30 to 60 minutes to your nightly sleep until you hit your target sleep time and feel well-rested.
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Choose a bedtime that allows you to get at least 7 hours of nightly sleep. Then, go to bed and get up at the same time every day to create a consistent schedule.
Practice good sleep hygiene. A consistent sleep schedule is just one part of healthy sleep hygiene. You should also sleep in a cool, dark room. And avoid screens, alcohol, and heavy meals too close to bedtime.
Create a relaxing nighttime routine. A relaxing nighttime routine can help you unwind and get restful sleep. Try taking a warm bath, reading, or doing gentle yoga poses before bed.
Talk with a healthcare professional. If medical conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia, or restless leg syndrome affect your sleep, get treatment. Using a CPAP device for sleep apnea or taking medications for insomnia or restless leg syndrome can help you get more sleep and feel better.
Frequently asked questions
Chronic sleep debt refers to an ongoing lack of sleep. It occurs when you consistently don’t get the sleep your body needs over a period of weeks, months, or years.
There isn’t an official guideline for how much sleep debt is considered too much. But generally, significant sleep debt occurs when you regularly miss 2 or more hours of sleep several nights a week. That would put your weekly sleep debt at 6 or more hours per week, which could take a toll on your health and well-being.
You may not be able to completely undo years of poor or insufficient sleep. But practicing good sleep hygiene is still beneficial after years of poor sleep. Getting enough restful sleep leads to better mental health, improved heart health, and a longer life.
Chronic sleep debt refers to an ongoing lack of sleep. It occurs when you consistently don’t get the sleep your body needs over a period of weeks, months, or years.
There isn’t an official guideline for how much sleep debt is considered too much. But generally, significant sleep debt occurs when you regularly miss 2 or more hours of sleep several nights a week. That would put your weekly sleep debt at 6 or more hours per week, which could take a toll on your health and well-being.
You may not be able to completely undo years of poor or insufficient sleep. But practicing good sleep hygiene is still beneficial after years of poor sleep. Getting enough restful sleep leads to better mental health, improved heart health, and a longer life.
The bottom line
Getting enough sleep is vital for your overall health. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many different medical problems over time. If you have sleep debt, catching up on sleep may help you feel better in the short term, but improving your sleep hygiene will improve your health in the long term.
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References
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). FastStats: Sleep in adults.
Depner, C. M., et al. (2019). Ad libitum weekend recovery sleep fails to prevent metabolic dysregulation during a repeating pattern of insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep. Current Biology.
Guzzetti, J. R., et al. (2022). Dynamics of recovery sleep from chronic sleep restriction. Sleep Advances.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. (2006). 3. Extent and health consequences of chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. National Academy of Sciences.
Killgore, W. D. S. (2010). Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition. Progress in Brain Research.
Kitamura, S., et al. (2016). Estimating individual optimal sleep duration and potential sleep debt. Scientific Reports.
Li, H., et al. (2023). Low-risk sleep patterns, mortality, and life expectancy at age 30 years: A prospective study of 172 321 US adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Liu, Z., et al. (2024). Weekend compensatory sleep is associated with reduced risk of heart disease: a prospective UK Biobank-based cohort study. European Heart Journal.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2024). Brain basics: Understanding sleep. National Institutes of Health.
Scott, A. J., et al. (2021). Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews.
Zhao, Z., et al. (2017). Neural consequences of chronic short sleep: Reversible or lasting? Frontiers in Neurology.
