Yes, people can make up for lost sleep on another day. The amount of sleep lost and recovered may not be the same. Most of the first few hours of sleep can be recovered, but if the sleep is lost in excess, then all can’t be recovered. Fortunately, even if you do lose a large amount of sleep throughout the week, the body has its own recovery system that makes it easier for you to bounce back from a sleep deficit. And you may not even need to recover all the hours you failed to get.
Generally, you need at least seven to eight hours of good quality sleep. And getting more or less than seven or eight hours a night can actually affect lifespan. In order to get good quality sleep, you must have good sleep hygiene. Here are a few natural sleep remedies:
- Have strict times for going to bed and waking up. It can vary a little, but majorly it should be consistent.
- Before going to bed, make a habit of activities like reading a book or listening to music. These are the best sleep aids.
- Avoid watching TV or play on the computer right before sleep time. These bright light affects your brain so falling asleep is difficult.
- No caffeine after 3 p.m. and also don’t take excess caffeine in the morning.
Avoid taking naps. If you actually need a nap then it should not be longer than 20 minutes.
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Fastest Ways to make up for Lost Sleep
Just a few minutes of shut-eye will improve alertness, performance, and mood, and a short afternoon nap can recover for the loss of one hour of nighttime sleep. Here are some rules for making that snooze a success:
- Keep track of the amount you sleep – In order to catch up on sleep, you need to know how much you’ve lost. If you can, keep a record of how much you sleep per night for two weeks, as that should paint a fairly accurate portrait of your sleep debt, and provide a basis for you to adjust your routine.
- Try not to nap after dark – Napping after dark can trick the body clock into thinking you’re down for the night, making it harder to shake off the sleepiness when you wake up.
- Power up your power nap – Try drinking your post-lunch espresso immediately before you’re scheduled to nap. The combination of these two energy-boosters is far more effective at reviving sleep-deprived drivers than either on its own. A nap helps clear the brain of the sleep-inducing compound adenosine and gives the coffee just enough time to kick in.
- Give into an early bedtime – On those nights when you can barely keep your eyes open, go to bed an hour or so earlier. Yes, a consistent bedtime is important to feel well-rested, but, a consistent wake-up time is one of the sleep remedies. So wake up early if you can, but don’t even think of touching that snooze button.
- Check your weekly schedule for sleep openings – In a perfect world, you would simply compensate an extra hour or two every day for sleep, but that’s not always possible. It might not seem like much, but few additional hours will support your sleep routine, and greatly reduce your debt.
- Avoid large meals and dietary changes before bed – Spicy foods, basically are problematic before bed. And it’s not a good idea to have any large meal before sleeping. The digestive process can affect your body’s natural sleep cycle and tarnish your sleep quality.
- Avoid exercise immediately before bed – For the most part, exercise improves your sleep quality. But, exercise before bed can affect it another way and limits your ability to fall asleep. Although calmer forms of exercise, like yoga, are natural sleep aids, regardless of when the exercise is performed.
- Establish a consistent and soothing sleep environment – The idea is to get your body used to certain sleeping conditions. It works as natural sleeping pills for your body and your body naturally prepares itself for sleep when exposed to those conditions. Consider all of the following:
- Use your favourite bedding.
- Adjust the room to your preferred temperature, and sleep that way every night.
- Blackout as much noise and light as possible.
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So earn back that lost sleep and follow the voice of your body’s sleep needs. You’ll feel better when you put away sleep debt, you will become a happy person.
