SLEEP pt4 (How to pay sleep debt)

Sleep debt is the difference between the
amount of sleep you need and the hours
you actually get.



Every time you sacrifice
on sleep, you add to the debt.


Eventually,
the debt will have to be repaid; it won't
go away on its own. If you lose an hour
of sleep, you must make up that extra
hour somewhere down the line in order to
bring your "account" back into balance.


Sleeping in on the weekends isn't
enough!




Many of us try to repay our sleep debt by
sleeping in on the weekends, but as it
turns out, bouncing back from chronic
lack of sleep isn't that easy.



One or two
solid nights of sleep aren't enough to pay
off a long-term debt.


While extra sleep
can give you a temporary boost (for
example, you may feel great on Monday
morning after a relaxing weekend), your
performance and energy will drop back
down as the day wears on.



TIPS FOR GETTING AND STAYING OUT OF SLEEP DEBT



While you can't pay off sleep debt in a
night or even a weekend, with a little
effort and planning, you can get back on
track.




* Aim for at least seven and a half
hours of sleep every night.




*Make
sure you don't fall farther in debt by
blocking off enough time for sleep
each night.


*Consistency is the key.
Settle short-term sleep debt with an
extra hour or two per night.




* If you lost 10 hours of sleep, pay the debt
back in nightly one or two-hour
installments.





*Keep a sleep diary. Record when
you go to bed, when you get up,
your total hours of sleep, and how
you feel during the day. As you keep
track of your sleep, you'll discover
your natural patterns and get to
know your sleep needs.



*Take a sleep vacation to pay off a
long-term sleep debt. Pick a two-
week period when you have a
flexible schedule.


* Go to bed at the
same time every night and allow
yourself to sleep until you wake up
naturally. No alarm clocks! If you
continue to keep the same bedtime
and wake up naturally, you'll
eventually dig your way out of debt
and arrive at the sleep schedule
that's ideal for you.




Make sleep a priority. Just as you
schedule time for work and other
commitments, you should schedule
enough time for sleep. Instead of
cutting back on sleep in order to
tackle the rest of your daily tasks,
put sleep at the top of your to-do
list.

(source:helpguide.org)