It is the little debt that we accumulate without thinking too much. A series that continues, a difficult awakening, a tense week … And in a few days, the hours of sleep fly away. We tell ourselves that we will catch up on weekends. But is it really possible?
What you really lose when you sleep too little
Losing one or two hours of sleep per night may seem trivial. However, according to several studies, each hour of missed sleep may require up to four days to be really recovered. And this does not only concern the feeling of fatigue: concentration, memory, hormonal regulation, metabolism and mood can be permanently disturbed.
Sleeping more weekend can improve the feeling of rest, but is not enough to erase all the effects. The biological rhythm, in particular, remains out of order, which still accentuates fatigue the following days. This is what some researchers call the “”: a gap imposed by the lifestyle, the consequences of which are spread over time.
Why does not everyone recover sleep in the same way
Adolescents, for example, have higher needs (up to 10 hours per night) and an internal clock naturally later. Result: their sleep debt is often greater, and more difficult to fill due to school hours.
In adults, professional and family constraints often limit the possibility of recovery. Even with a progressive method, lack of regularity or stress can slow down the return to a fully restful sleep.
As for the elderly, they generally sleep shorter at night, with a lighter and more fractional sleep. Their total need decreases slightly with age, but they sometimes compensate naturally with naps during the day. Their internal clock also shifts, with earlier sleep.
In short, it is not the recovery technique that changes according to age or pace of life, but the way it works and adapts to everyone.
The concrete method to make up for your hours without shift your whole pace
Specialists recommend that you gradually add sleep, rather than trying to compensate for all at once. The most effective is to extend your nights from 30 to 60 minutes over several days. We must also avoid too late awakenings on weekends, which disturb the natural pace even more.
Naps of 20 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon can help recharge the batteries, without interfering with night sleep. But they do not replace a full night: they are a punctual complement, not a lasting solution.
For recovery to work, it is also necessary to optimize the quality of sleep. Dark and fresh room, regular hours, screens off at least an hour before bed: these simple gestures allow the body to benefit from the hours spent in bed. It is the repetition of these good practices, over several days, which makes it possible to really fill the accumulated lack.
