Anonymous A started this discussion 12 years ago#38,376
Ever since I started my new job several months ago, I have to wake up at 6am, and I am just too much of a night owl to go to bet at 9 like an old man. So, I have been severely lacking in sleep. Now I have a few days off. How much should I sleep a night? Can I ever actually repay the sleep debt, and if so, how long will it take?
squeegee joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 57 minutes later[^][v]#513,075
there's no such thing as sleep debt. There isn't a bank out there keeping tabs on all your lost sleep and you don't have to make it all back.
just get 8-9 full hours of sleep 2 days in a row and you'll be fully rested and whatever deficit you've "accumulated" will be payed back in full.
i'm just saying if you only get 7 hours of sleep a night for two years you don't have to sleep for 730 hours (30 days) straight to earn back all those lost hours. 2 days with a full nights sleep will make you right as rain.
(Edited 1 minute later.)
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 12 years ago, 21 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^][v]#513,084
@previous (squeegee)
Actually, sleep experts call it "sleep debt," which you will see if you Google it.
squeegee replied with this 12 years ago, 1 hour later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,106
@previous (A)
i'm aware of it and it's basically saying "if you're tired you're going to sleep until you aren't anymore" and "you can get really really tired if you stay awake for a long time and you will sleep longer than you normally would."
But there is not a 1:1 relationship between the amount of sleep that you lose and the amount of sleep that you need to set you back right. it's just a fancy way of talking about something everyone inherently understands. get 8-9 hours of sleep 2 days in a row and all your previous "sleep debt" will be erased.
(Edited 54 seconds later.)
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 12 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,107
@previous (squeegee)
How will I know if it is erased?
squeegee replied with this 12 years ago, 58 seconds later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,108
really, it's like saying if you fast for a week you'll need to eat 7 dinners and lunches and breakfasts in order to feel full, you don't, you can just eat normally after that and you'll be okay.
squeegee double-posted this 12 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,109
@513,107 (A)
you'll feel it in your body as a "not tired" sensation that should be barely noticeable if at all@513,107 (A)
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 12 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,110
@previous (squeegee)
Honestly, I have not felt rested in years.
squeegee replied with this 12 years ago, 10 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,111
@previous (A)
that could possibly be a medical issue that could be resolved with a change in diet, environment, or exercise. it could be that you just don't get enough rest, but i seriously doubt that years worth of accumulated debt needs to be payed back and slept off. unfortunately lifestyle changes can be very difficult to implement and can be pretty disruptive to a persons comfort level and so they rarely get made. You know you don't get enough sleep and it makes you tired but you don't even want to fix that.
Which is fine, i make myself go without sleep all the time, i'm just saying fixing your problem might actually be bigger than just 2 nights of restful sleep (even though i think that would help) so i have to ask, do you actually care?
like, i mean i don't care if i'm tired. eventually i'll crash out and get sleep and all, but i have many bad habits and i just kinda don't give a fuck. If i did i might, you know, stop smoking or whatever or get more rest or eat better foods, but i kinda just don't really even want to, so... i guess since you're asking in the OP you DO care, so, at least that's a start.
Since you Do care though it won't help you if i lie and say, "oh yeah sleep debt is a thing and you need years of rest to catch up" instead of a couple days of rest should be good enough and if it's not then you might need actual lifestyle changes.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 12 years ago, 59 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,114
@previous (squeegee)
But I cannot get enough sleep: my schedule does not allow it. Any lifestyle change would mean I would have to quit working.
DasSheeple joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 59 minutes later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,116
You'll sleep when dead, don't worry, you'll catch up with your sleep debt and surpass it...
But seriously, there is no "sleep debt" just like how you can't sleep in advance (let's say I sleep fully through saturday and sunday, then I can be awake the whole working week? Lol, nope), there is also no sleep debt. Just nap and sleep when you feel sleepy instead of posting here.
Anonymous D joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 3 hours later, 7 hours after the original post[^][v]#513,132
@OP
Oversleeping can be just as unhealthy (though in different ways) as not getting enough. Your body should know what is enough. A healthy person's body will compensate for lack of good sleep through processes like REM rebound. If you still feel tired and crappy throughout the day, then experiment with changes in diet or exercise or whatever other parts of your daily routine you feel might be a cause. (Seriously, even just going for a walk can have a big effect for some people.) If you can't figure it out, then maybe something is wrong and you should seek the opinion of a doctor.
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 16 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,193
Well, I slept 11 hours last night. I did not set an alarm. I woke up naturally after 11 hours. I was still tired today. Shit. This is ridiculous. All I want is to know what it feels like to be refreshed from sleep.
squeegee replied with this 12 years ago, 7 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,231
@previous (E)
well, there is a difference between being tired from lack of sleep and general fatigue, but both have the same symptoms. You could get a check up from your doctor and tell him that you're feeling fatigue throughout the day he might be able to recommend something to help based on your diagnostics. You could have high blood pressure and not know it or something like that.
but probably what your doctor will recommend is changes in activity level and maybe diet. so look at your lifestyle honestly and decide if you are currently getting what would be considered a healthy amount of physical activity and if your diet is healthy. If you don't "exercise" regularly, if your diet isn't full of healthy vegetables and low in sugars, if you smoke, or if you're overweight, then you might consider any combination of these as being a systemic problem that leads to fatigue as a symptom. You might have to change one aspect of your life, or maybe several aspects of your life, to truly feel rested and healthfully energetic.
eat right, exercise, maintain a healthy weight. if any of these are off then you might consider them as the direct cause of your problem. Too many people have these as problems (poor diet, fat, sedentary) and still can't understand why they fell bad/get sick all the time. i have no idea what your current level of health is, but don't fall down the slippery slope of "quick fixes" and medicating symptoms or you'll end up too fatigued to exercise and then you'll just get worse and then you'll get fat and be tired and eventually you'll be diabetic in a wheel chair with a thyroid problem and sleep apnea and wonder if maybe you're tired all the time because you stay up too late on the weekends.
squeegee double-posted this 12 years ago, 6 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,232
oh yeah, and environment. You have to maintain a healthy environment where you live. air quality is real important. If the place you live is older then the building/house could have mold and that exposure can lead to health issues like fatigue. if you live in an older building you might consider moving into newer digs in the near future. something you know won't have asbestos or mold. Don't smoke indoors either, that's pretty bad. sometimes stuff like environment can be helped, sometimes it can't. you can't do much about living in a city and air quality outside, but if you've got pets make sure to clean the litter box because cat urine exposes you to ammonia in the air. Keep your home free of dust as well.
Not calling you a pig or anything, just saying, indoor air quality can be extremely polluted and people don't even know it, be aware of the air quality in your home because it can make you sick and fatigue is a symptom of environmental problems.
(Edited 2 minutes later.)
Anonymous F joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 35 seconds later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,233
@513,231 (squeegee)
Why did you spend so much time on this bullshit thread
squeegee replied with this 12 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,234
@previous (F)
idk, why spend time on any bullshit thread?
Anonymous F replied with this 12 years ago, 44 seconds later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,236
Anonymous D replied with this 12 years ago, 33 seconds later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,237
I took out a sleep loan from a well dressed Jewish man in August 1990. I am currently sleeping as much as 15 hours per day to pay off sky-rocketing sleep interest rates. My sleep credit score is pitifully low, and I have trouble getting to sleep because I am constantly hounded by sleep creditors and sleep collections agencies.
Rogi FORGOT HIS DAMN TRIPCODE joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,239
6hrs ftw
squeegee joined in and replied with this 12 years ago, 11 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#513,240