Here’s how to pay it off
Have you heard of sleep pressure? It’s your body’s built-in drive to sleep and it’s linked to a neurotransmitter called adenosine.
From the moment you wake up, adenosine starts to build in the brain — and the longer you stay awake, the more pressure builds. When you fall asleep, the sleep pressure clears.
If you get enough sleep, you wake up the next morning and the sleep pressure resets. But if your sleep is cut short, you can end up with what is known as ‘sleep debt’.
Many of us are probably in some sleep debt without realising it — modern life is excellent at helping us patch over the symptoms with things like caffeine and distraction. But over time, too much sleep debt can start to negatively affect your wellbeing and become an issue that even the most delicious coffee can’t solve.
If you’re in sleep debt, here are some tips to start paying it off.
Wake up at the same time each morning and night
Finding consistency in your circadian rhythm is a great place to start. Once you have this in place, sleep pressure tends to take care of itself.
Be mindful with caffeine
Caffeine can mask sleepiness, but it doesn’t repay your debt. Try cutting back or even going a few days without caffeine so you can reset your sleep pressure.
Protect the last hour of your day
Good sleep often requires good boundaries. Set aside the last hour of your day for sleep-inducing activities — a hot bath, a good book, a sleepy tea.
Just like repaying a loan, repaying sleep debt requires sacrificing the fun stuff sometimes, but it’s worth it!