So we are all college students and I’m sure I am not alone in not getting nearly enough sleep due to all the various responsibilities I have that take up my time. Classes, homework, sports, clubs, friends, jeez it seems the list of things we are expected to do in college is never ending, however there are still only 24 hours in the day to do it all. Many people see the weekends as their salvation and the phrase “catch up on some sleep” is spoken with a grin in regards to what our plans for the weekend are. But I’m curious as to weather there is any scientific basis on this idea. Can our bodies actual recover from all the adverse side affects of not getting enough sleep throughout to week by getting possibly too much of it over the weekends? According to Scientific American there is a penalty our body accumulates when we abuse our sleeping patterns. “Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get. It’s a deficit that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly slumber.” So logically one would think if they missed 7 hours of sleep that they were supposed to get in one week (assuming a person should sleep 8 hours a night) if they slept for 15 hours in one day they would be able to repay their sleep debt. But this is unfortunately not the truth. Lets begin to address this issue by looking at what exactly the side effects of not getting enough sleep are. The Huffington Post has an article on the 8 biggest effects of sleep deprivation but to summarize they are increased stroke risk, greater chances of obesity and diabetes, memory loss, bone damage, cancer risk, heart pain, and death. These risks are associated with prolonged sleep deprivation, which unfortunately for college students is quite common. Now there is some hope after all, sleep debt can be repaid, but it is a process and not a quick solution. It takes months and regulation of a new improved sleep schedule before the human body begins to show signs of improvement from the damage the deprivation did in the first place. But suppose you already have a healthy sleeping pattern and pulled an all-nighter to work on a project, will you be able to repay your debt the next day? The answer is yes! This type of sleeping you would be doing the next day is referred to as recovery sleeping, where you sleep an additional amount to your usual pattern. “For recovery sleep, both the hours slept and the intensity of the sleep are important. Some of your most refreshing sleep occurs during deep sleep. Although such sleep’s true effects are still being studied, it is generally considered a restorative period for the brain. And when you sleep more hours, you allow your brain to spend more time in this rejuvenating period.” So a bit of advice for all of us, our sleeping patterns are important and must be regulated. Staying up all night can be resolved with extra sleep only if the person doing this doesn’t make a habit of it. Be careful how you value your sleep, you may not realize how important it is to your health.

Source:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-can-you-catch-up-on-sleep/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/scary-sleep-deprivation-effects_n_2807026.html