Is a little sleep debt ok?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7–9 hours of sleep every night (7–8 if you’re over 65).¹ So what if you got, say, five-and-a-half or six last night? A little sleep debt is ok, right? Not according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. At the Endocrine Society’s annual conference in San Diego, they announced:

Losing just 30 minutes of sleep per week can spike your risk of being obese or developing type 2 diabetes:²

• At the start of the study, the 500+ participants were 72% more likely to be obese if they had weekday sleep debt vs. those who didn’t.
• One year into the study, participants had a 17% higher risk of obesity and a 39% higher risk of insulin resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes) for every 30 minutes of weekday sleep debt.

These results may help explain why sleep apnea, a disorder that can disturb a sufferer’s sleep hundreds of times a night, is found in roughly 3 out of 4 people who are obese³ or have type 2 diabetes.⁴

Of course, our blog readers already know the importance of getting restorative sleep! We’re excited to share this study as more evidence that your efforts to sleep longer and better are well spent. Plus, we encourage you to share this blog post with friends, family and coworkers who don’t value sleep as much as they should so they understand what they’re risking every time they add to their sleep debt.

In addition to these potentially fatal long-term risks, there are daily consequences to getting less sleep as well. Sleep deprivation can make you more accident-prone at work or while driving, and make you more irritable – putting a strain on your relationships with others. The irony is that many people in today’s hard-working society carry their lack of sleep like a badge of honor, thinking that sacrificing sleep shows a stronger commitment to their job, family or friends. In reality, the best way to show your commitment to the people and work you care about is to make sure you’re rested enough to give them your all – tomorrow and many days down the road.

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.

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