Table of contents:
- Can you pay the debt to sleep during the day because you stayed up late at night?
- The impact of a messy sleep cycle
- Take it easy, sleep debt can be paid, really
Most people must have stayed up late. Whether it's to catch up deadline office or college assignments, there are family events, and other activities. When sleep is insufficient, most people take this issue aside, "Tomorrow can take a nap this afternoon" or "Tomorrow just go to sleep on the bus right to the office".
However, is it okay for you to stay up late at night and pay for less sleep during the day like this?
Can you pay the debt to sleep during the day because you stayed up late at night?
The evenings are a great time for you to rest. It is at this break that the body will prepare itself to return to activities the next day.
However, certain activities or health problems can interfere with your sleeping hours. For example, deliberately not sleeping to stay up late or having trouble sleeping due to insomnia.
Lack of sleep can definitely make you sleepy the next day. Not infrequently, those who have activities in the morning choose to "revenge" sleeping during the day. If not possible, you will take advantage of certain times to sleep, such as on the way to work.
You may think that staying up late at night won't be a problem as long as you can afford the sleep deprivation during the day. In fact, this action is not recommended.
The reason is that paying off debts this way allows you to take longer naps. In fact, taking longer naps can make you unable to sleep again at night.
As a result, you will sleep later and be sleepy the next day. Gradually, this habit can ruin your sleep cycle.
The impact of a messy sleep cycle
Often staying up late at night and sleeping longer during the day, messes up your sleep cycle. This chaotic cycle can also disrupt the systems in your body, causing various problems.
These health problems include difficulty thinking clearly, difficulty focusing, drowsiness, disturbed body balance, and sometimes confusion.
All of these effects can reduce productivity, and even put you in danger, such as an accident while driving a vehicle.
According to the National Health Service, sleep deprivation due to long-term messy sleep cycles can increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Take it easy, sleep debt can be paid, really
Even though you are not advised to pay off your sleep debt during the day, that does not mean that it is better for you to let sleep debt accumulate just like that.
You can still pay sleep debt in a safe way, which is to extend sleep at night.
For example, if you usually sleep at 10 p.m., but that day you have to stay up late until 12 o'clock at night, it means that you have slept 2 hours less.
The next night, try going to bed 1 hour earlier and getting up at the same time as usual. Then, try again until your sleep debt is paid off.
However, what about people who have sleep debt piling up? Sleep debt that is not due to staying up late, for example due to insomnia at night, should not be allowed to accumulate or be replaced by naps.
The way to pay your sleep debt also remains the same as previously explained, namely going to bed early and getting up early at the same time. Make sleep debt payments in installments, for example, today sleep at night 2 hours earlier and the next day and so on.
By getting in the habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time, your disturbed sleep cycle can return to normal. You may need help from a doctor, psychologist, or therapist to improve the quality of sleep related to insomnia.
Even though you can't pay your sleep debt by taking a nap, that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to take a nap at all. You can still take a nap, ideally 20 minutes when you are sleepy or tired.
Photo courtesy of: Best Life.
