Sleep Debt Is Real. -by Taha Tariq

 Have you ever woke up feeling like a sleepy zombie even though you technically got eight hours of sleep? Like, your eyes were closed, but your brain forgot to rest? That weird fog that follows you around all day asking you to sleep asap? That’s probably sleep debt, and it builds up quicker than most people realize.

Sleep debt is exactly what it sounds like - the difference between how much sleep your body needs and how much it actually gets. And no, it’s not something you can clear up with one big nap or a weekend of sleeping in. It stacks up day by day, and your brain keeps the tab open. For example let’s say you need eight hours but you get six. That’s two hours lost. Multiply that over a week and you’re already carrying a 14 hour sleep debt. And unlike credit card debt, there's no minimum payment. Your brain wants it all back - consistently, over time.

The worst part? You probably don’t even notice how tired you are anymore. We adapt to functioning on low energy like it’s normal. You might feel grumpy, unmotivated, or unfocused and just blame it on stress or burnout. But underneath it, your brain is just trying to function on fumes. Research shows that chronic sleep deprivation affects memory, attention, emotional stability, and even basic decision making. And the effects aren’t just mental - your physical health takes a hit too, increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even a weakened immune system which overall is super super harmful.

A 2015 study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society pointed out that adults who consistently get less than seven hours of sleep a night are at higher risk for a range of health problems, including depression, obesity, and impaired cognitive function (Watson). Basically, sleep isn’t a bonus. It’s a core part of your body’s system. Skip it, and you’re not only tired - you’re slowly breaking down and messing your body up.

Honestly, sleep might be one of the most powerful tools we ignore. We grind all day, caffeinate through the fatigue by chugging coffees, and then doom scroll into the early morning. Then we wonder why we’re anxious, drained, and can’t focus for more than five minutes. It’s not a weakness, it's just biology. Your brain needs time to clean itself up, sort emotions, recharge memories, and reset. And that happens when you're out cold sleeping for a healthy amount of time.

So the next time you’re tempted to trade sleep for late night hustle, think long term. Try giving your brain what it’s actually begging for - which is consistent rest. And once you catch up, everything feels clearer. Life feels lighter. You won’t just be surviving the day - you would actually be in it truly living it.

Works Cited:
Watson, Nathaniel F., et al. “Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement.” Sleep, vol. 38, no. 6, 2015.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ReachEquilibria: A Nonprofit Organization With a Story Behind It

Image
  On July 20th, ReachEquilibria hosted their first ever bake sale at the Coppell Farmers Market. The bake sale was intended to raise money for the organizations mission to spread mental health awareness. This money would be donated to local clinics and hospitals and used to buy materials for care packages to send out to those in need of support. The stand was lined up with various different brownies, cakes, pastries, and cookies to be sold. The bake sale started at 8 AM and went through 12 PM on that Saturday.  From my personal experience, I started at 8 AM and was the early “shift” for the group. I was first nervous because of how it took quite a bit to get our first sale. Fortunately, that nervousness was quickly erased as people started coming by and learning about the ReachEquilibria cause. In my first hour there, the stand sold over $50 dollars worth of goods. This included a very generous donation by a lovely woman and her husband of $40 .  I left after the first h...
Read more

You Don’t Always Have to Reinvent Yourself -by Taha Tariq

  Lately it feels like everyone’s relaunching themselves. New persona. New image. Big transformation. And it can make staying the same seem boring- or even lazy. But have you ever considered that reinvention might not be as fulfilling as it’s cracked up to be? Studies show that people who chase constant self‑reinvention often feel less happy. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that Americans who change their identity frequently report lower well‑being compared to those who stay more consistent (Haas). Reinvention can feel like trying on a new mask, but underneath, you might be skipping the hard work of acceptance. Self‑reinvention is often glamorized as brave or bold, but Arianne Cohen writes for Fast Company that it can leave us feeling less happy, not more. She quotes a psychology professor pointing out that culturally, Americans view identity as something we can reconstruct- when in reality, what we often lose is a sense of authenticity and stability (Cohen). Reinve...
Read more

When Friendships Start To Fade -by Taha Tariq

  There’s this weird kind of pain that comes when a close friendship starts fading - not with an argument or some big falling-out, but with silence. It’s quiet. Subtle. One day you’re sending each other reels and talking about life, and then suddenly it’s been weeks. You check your phone and realize they haven’t replied. Or maybe you haven’t texted either - not because you didn’t want to, but because it started to feel like you were the only one who cared. That kind of fade hurts in a different way. It's not just about missing them. It's about mourning something that’s technically still there, just not the way it used to be. You keep thinking: did I do something wrong? Was there a moment where everything shifted? Or did life just naturally pull us apart? No one tells you that friendship grief can feel just as real as a breakup. But it absolutely does. Part of it is that there’s no closure. No conversation that says, “Hey, I think we’ve grown apart.” You’re left with unsent text...
Read more