How to pay off our sleep debt

By Brian Maynor

 

We all have morning routines, and they usually start with an alarm clock shocking us awake before the sun rises.

Sadly, this is one of the inescapable realities of holding down a job.  We have set times when we need to be at work.  To compensate for the week-long necessity of getting up early, most of us think we’ll make up for it over the weekend by sleeping as late as we want.  While this sounds like a great, logical idea it really doesn’t work.

In fact, sleeping late on the weekends can make us feel worse.  The cold, hard truth is, our sleep debt isn’t something we can pay off on the weekends, thank you Northwestern University.
I know I’m not the only one bummed to hear this news.  Fortunately, there is a sliver of hope and some proven ways we can pay off our sleep debt that work.  Here’s what we need to know:

1.  What is sleep debt?  It’s pretty self-explanatory.  Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep we need and the amount we actually need.

2.    How does it affect us?  There are both short-term and long-term effects of carrying a sleep debt. The short-term effects are foggy brain, worsened vision, trouble accomplishing small tasks, and impaired memory.  The long-term effects include obesity, insulin resistance and heart disease.

3.    How do we pay it off?  The short answer is over time, just like most debts.  It is possible to ‘catch up’ on lost sleep within a few days of losing it, but you can’t make up for a week’s worth of sleep over the weekend.  The best practice is to start going to bed a little earlier, say thirty minutes for a few weeks, and then increase it to an hour so that you train yourself to go to bed earlier during the week.

4.    Listen to your body.  We are bombarded with statistics about how much sleep we need for our bodies to be healthy and functioning normally, but the truth is there is no one-size-fits-all number.  Everyone has a unique sleeping pattern.  That means we should focus on how many hours of sleep we need and adjust our sleep patterns accordingly.  You can track your sleeping patterns by noting when you feel tired and when you naturally wake up.

Most Americans are chronically sleep deprived.  Think about it, from the time start school at three or four years old until we retire our days are regulated by an imposed timetable.  Believing that we can make up for all our lost sleep over the weekends not only means we lose out on enjoying our time off; it isn’t going to do any good in the long run.  Catching up on sleep takes time and a shift in our focus from the times we go to sleep and wake up to the number of hours we need to sleep each night.

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About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.

 

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