I’ve mentioned in previous posts that fatigue and getting a good night’s sleep can be challenging for me. I’ve learned to cope with the insomnia and, thankfully, that’s rarer these days but I could still feel better rested than I do. Being the health and wellness nerd that I am, I have been researching sleep.
“Can you catch up on sleep?” is one question I have been pondering. I had always heard in the past that you can’t. Once it’s gone, it’s gone; you can’t get it back. However, a lot of new information has cropped up over the last several years claiming that, actually, you can!
Sleep debt is determined by the variance between the amount of sleep you are getting and the amount you ought to be getting. Most of the sources I checked were in agreement that seven to nine hours a night is considered optimal. I guesstimate that I tend to get on average around six or less. Splitting the diff on the optimum range, my sleep debt is around 1.5 hours a night or 10.5 a week. No wonder why I feel so damned tired!
I have decided to dedicate the month of November to getting more shut-eye in the hopes of balancing out my sleep account. Most articles I read, like this one from Scientific American, “Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep? …”, agreed that the best way to repay your sleep debt is to intentionally get more sleep every night. So if eight hours of sleep is optimal, then aim for nine or ten.
I have been shooting for ten hours a night. I try to be in bed by 9PM and sleep until 6AM. This means I am sacrificing my beloved morning routine somewhat for a while. However, I figure that it does me little good to run through routine activities if I end up exhausted by 2PM. Besides, if this works the way I am hoping it will, then I can return to my AM rituals bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by the holidays. I do want to get to back in the 5AM club before the end of the year!
Are you getting enough sleep at night? Do you feel rested and energetic all day long? I would love to hear from you. Leave me a reply in the comments section!
Many blessings,
Cynthia
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I need 8 hours a night to function at my best but lately, because I am in the midst of a Crohn’s flare and they put me on a chemo drug, I find myself sleeping a minimum of 10 hours. It isn’t easy to maintain that, but it is easier because I am also now working from home. I am more consistently attentions to get regular eat each night whereas before I was catching up on sleep over the weekend– not the best option!
Thank you for sharing your experience Randi! I am so sorry to hear about your crohn’s flare-up and the very serious treatment you are taking to deal with it. I hope it subsides soon and feel better!
I agree with you about catching up over the weekend not being the best option. Once you start doing that then you always put off the sleep your body needs. It becomes a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and playing catch-up. This takes a big toll on our health and well-being.
So I’m in bed At 9pm every night but i only sleep till about 3 or 4 am the latest. I normally don’t feel sleepy during week at work but by the time 9 pm rolls around, I’m done. I need to slip i to my bed to dreamland. Unless the dogs wake me i usually sleep well. I hope you catch up on much needed sleep. Does napping count? I used to take 45 min power naps at lunch way back in the day and i felt energized after.
I take naps at lunch sometimes! Naps are allowed as long as they aren’t too long or too late in the day then they can inhibit nightime sleep. As long as you don’t feel tired during the day then you are on the right sleep cycle for you! 🙂
I’ve always considered myself a great sleeper and, in the past, was VERY committed to getting all the sleep I needed and then some. But since I started my business a few years ago, there have been many late nights. I’m a night person so it was fine – except for the part where I have an early life and must be up by 6am to get the kids off to school. I’ve gotten better about it since I left work, but late night is still my preferred work time so there are days when I’m only getting 3-4 hours of sleep. I find that naps help but nothing is better than a solid 8-9 hours of sleep!
I agree Andrea! I think you can do little sleep nights for a while especially when you are passionate about a project. Eventually though it catches up.