Sleep is an essential part of health. Peak mental and physical health calls for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. When you get less sleep, you suffer from sleep deprivation. Days of sleep deprivation add up and you move into what’s known as “sleep debt.” Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the amount you actually get.
The question is: How can you repay sleep debt and get back to optimum health?
Losing sleep is a fact of life. Traveling across time zones, taking care of sick children through the night, stress and worry, and other realities can leave you owing yourself a few hours of sleep here and there. This occasional loss of sleep is sleep deprivation.
Falling short on your shuteye can leave you feeling worse for wear the next day. A tired body and a sluggish mind are common. So are crankiness and cravings for high-calorie foods. But when you’re sleep-deprived, you simply carry on—albeit maybe a bit fuzzy-brained and irritable.
Over the long term, routinely missing sleep takes a bigger toll. Chronic sleep loss, or sleep debt, is linked with a higher risk for some serious physical health issues. These include:
You may also have a harder time fighting illness, as your immune system is strengthened when you sleep.
Changes in mood have also been linked to a chronic lack of sleep. These include:
These mood changes happen because lack of sleep reduces the sensitivity of receptors in the brain. This results in unwanted changes in the way different regions of the brain communicate with each other.
Sleep debt also has an impact on physical activities. That means that prioritizing sleep and avoiding sleep debt can help you be a better athlete and enhance your workouts. This is true for several reasons. Here are 3 of them:
Paying back sleep debt by trying the “catch up” on weekends is a common approach. But research shows that lost sleep isn’t resolved simply by moving sleep hours to more convenient times. And sleeping late on weekends can throw off your internal clock.
Researchers found that cutting total sleep by 5 hours during the week and making that up on a weekend still had a cost. This method of dealing with sleep debt led to excess calorie intake after dinner, less energy, weight gain, and effects on blood sugar and how the body uses insulin.
Sleep debt may look like it’s resolved by catching up on the weekend, but its effects are almost the same as for those who remain sleep-deprived.
It's challenging to fully repay sleep debt, but it can be done. Here are a few ways that have been shown to cancel sleep debt in a healthy way:
Remember that you can’t catch up on all your lost sleep over the weekend. It takes time—maybe several days—to repay sleep debt.
When it comes to sleep debt, prevention is the best strategy. Missing sleep from time to time is hard to avoid. But if missing sleep is the norm for you, you might want to look at changing some habits.
You may also consider improving your bedroom environment. Keep the room temperature at a comfortable level. Block any bright lights. Replace worn or old pillows and linens.
If you find that sleep debt is interfering with your daily activities, talk with your doctor. They may give you personalized suggestions for improving your sleep.
You may want to reframe your relationship with sleep. Think of sleep as preventive medicine. Getting enough hours of quality sleep can help your body fight off illnesses. And you may be more agile during physical activities and sports, preventing injuries. When you take steps to erase sleep debt, you are, at the same time, optimizing your daily well-being and living your best life.
The information in this and other Active&Fit® blog articles is not intended to take the place of regular medical care or advice. Please check with your doctor before using this information or beginning any fitness or self-care program. Images used for this article do not depict any members of the Active&Fit Direct program.
References
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Dudley, K. (2019, September 4). Weekend catch-up sleep won’t fix the effects of sleep deprivation on your waistline. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/weekend-catch-up-sleep-wont-fix-the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation-on-your-waistline-2019092417861
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This article was written by Sharon Odegaard, edited by Keleigh Somes, and clinically reviewed by Jossue Ortiz, DC, on April 29, 2025.