Repaying your sleep debt

Medical evidence suggests that for optimum health and function, the average adult should get seven to nine hours of sleep daily. 

But more than 60% of women regularly fall short of that goal. 

Although each hour of lost slumber goes into the health debit column, we don’t get any monthly reminders that we’ve fallen in arrears. 

In fact, the greater the sleep debt, the less capable we are of recognizing it: Once sleep deprivation — with its fuzzy-headedness, irritability, and fatigue — has us in its sway, we can hardly recall what it’s like to be fully rested. 

And as the sleep debt mounts, the health consequences increase, putting us at growing risk for weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and memory loss.

In some cases, sleep debt results from insomnia or other underlying conditions that may require medical attention. 

But most sleep debt is due to burning the candle at both ends — consistently failing to get to bed on time and stay there until we’ve slept enough.

It may take some work, but you can repay even a chronic, longstanding sleep debt.

repay a debt
借金を返す、借りを返す

slumber
眠り、うたた寝、まどろみ
沈滞、停滞、休眠［停止・休止・無活動］状態

debit
負債、借金、借方

arrears
〔義務・約束の履行の〕遅れ、滞り

deprivation
剥奪、奪うこと

fuzzy
〔輪郭・境界・音・思考などが〕不明瞭な、不鮮明な、ぼやけた、

insomnia
《病理》不眠症

chronic
〔病気が〕慢性の

mount
～に上がる［登る］