What Chronic Sleep Deprivation Is

Chronic sleep deprivation is sleep deprivation over a long period of time. It can have catastrophic effects on health and performance in all areas of life, and should be taken very seriously. Sleep deprivation is caused by not getting enough sleep. “Enough sleep” will be different for different ages and individuals, but if you aren’t getting the sleep you need, you will become sleep deprived. 

Chronic sleep deprivation is different from acute sleep deprivation in that acute sleep deprivation:

• Does not last long, such one night to a couple of weeks
• Usually has a known cause

Chronic sleep deprivation may or may not have a known cause. But it usually entails getting less than the required amount of sleep most or every day, which may be followed by binge sleeping and exhaustion.

Adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep per day. You will likely require sleep within this range depending on your lifestyle and unique needs. Numerous studies show that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per day (this includes naps) has negative side effects on nearly everybody.

The severity of your chronic sleep deprivation, which can be moderate or severe, will depend on how much less sleep you are getting than you need.

Sleep Is Integral to Living a Good Life

It hardly needs to be said that living with chronic sleep deprivation can make everyday feel like a struggle. You’ve felt exhausted before – you may feel exhausted right now – and you know how hard it is to function well when you are feeling so tired. Feeling periodic exhaustion gives insight into what chronic sleep deprivation can be like.

It’s certainly a strong statement to say that chronic sleep deprivation "ruins your life”, but many will attest to the fact that feeling exhausted all the time does kill your ability to function. There are conditions cause chronic sleep deprivation, to name a few:

• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Parasomnias
• Restless leg syndrome
• Circadian rhythm disorders

By chronic sleep deprivation, most studies tend to look at getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night on a continual basis. Let’s look at the critical ways chronic sleep deprivation can make your life feel like a perpetual struggle.

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep. This can result into sudden lapses into sleep at any time, any place. The result is that normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. For example, someone suffering from narcolepsy may end up sleeping several times during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night.

Irregular sleeping patterns are not only inconvenient, they can have medical, emotional, and psychological consequences.

What is Binge Sleeping?

Here’s a common scenario. During the week you stay up late reading, watching TV, working, or doing things on your computer. You get up early for work, maybe only getting about five hours of sleep. After all, you can “make up” this sleep on the weekend.

Then on the weekend, you sleep in an extra couple of hours each day. That should make you sleep better right? This is probably a fairly common practice for most people. Americans average sleeping 6.8 hours per night during the week and 7.4 hours during the week.

The idea of sleep binging revolves around the notion of a “sleep debt”, which is:

• Your body requires a certain about of sleep, which is different depending on your age
• As you get less sleep than required, you become sleep deprived
• This sleep deprivation causes a “debt” which you have to “pay” by sleeping more than the required amount

Sleep debts are extremely important to correctly understand, because there are common misconception about what a sleep debt is and how you “repay” it.

What is Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is the chronic condition of not receiving adequate sleep. Adequate sleep will differ from person to person, and change as we age. Most of us suffer from sleep deprivation because we either have trouble staying asleep, or getting to sleep. Does that sound familiar?

It's also important to distinguish between short-term sleep deprivation, such as sleep deprivation caused by anxiety or stress that will soon pass, and long-term sleep deprivation, such as a chronic lack of sleep that may spread over months or years.

Sleep deprivation is usually followed by sleep binging (i.e. on the weekends) before the cycle of sleep deprivation starts over. Chronic sleep deprivation is has a strong link to depression. One of the common signs of insomnia and sleep apnea, for example, is depression.

Sleep Deprivation

If you have experienced sleep deprivation, you know how brutal it can be. Chronic sleep deprivation is when you are deprived for long periods of time – at least a month or more. This differs from acute sleep deprivation, that is short lived and often has a very specific cause. Chronic sleep deprivation will most certainly make life miserable for you, and can negatively impact those around you as well.

Sleep deprivation impacts your performance and health in all areas of life. Furthermore, it can have serious medical consequences, namely:

• Shortened life expectancy
• Much greater risk of disease and medical problems
• Lower quality of life

To avoid sleep deprivation, you need enough time asleep. It’s not that simple though, there are many factors to consider:

• We need different sleep at different ages
• Our sleep patterns change as we get older
• You are unique with your own unique sleep patterns
• Our unique sleep patterns change in response to things like seasons, our daily activities, life events, etc.

You need to be aware of what your needs are. Sleep deprivation occurs when you are not meeting your sleep needs.

Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Debt

When you don’t get enough sleep, you become sleep deprived. The difference between how much sleep you have been getting and how much sleep you personally need is often called a “sleep debt.” The implication here is that over time, a “debt” forms where you need to “catch up” on sleep in order to not suffer from sleep deprivation any more. Unfortunately, overcoming sleep deprivation is not as simple as simply

Sleep debts are extremely important to correctly understand. The common misconceptions about what a sleep debt is and how you “repay” it undermines the ability to actually overcome sleep deprivation. The primary misconception that we see is that one can “repay” a sleep debt in the same way you repay a monetary debt: by binge sleeping.

It simply doesn’t work this way.

What is Oversleeping, or Binge Sleeping?

Binge sleeping, a common escape route for those suffering from sleep deprivation, offers the illusion of a quick fix to feeling normal again. Picture this: you spend the entire week burning the midnight oil on your computer, only to wake up at your usual time for work, barely getting 6 hours of sleep. Then, the weekend arrives and you indulge in a few extra hours of shut-eye each day, maybe even sneaking in a nap or two. This is the essence of binge sleeping, but here's the truth - it doesn't actually work.

The concept of binge sleeping originates from the idea of having a "sleep debt," which plays a crucial role in discussions about sleep deprivation and sleep binging.

Consider this: on an average, Americans sleep for around 6.8 hours per night during the week, but that number jumps to 7.4 hours during the weekend (about 40 minutes more). These figures indicate that a significant portion of the population engages in binge sleeping, seeking to catch up on lost sleep.

Unfortunately, binge sleep doesn't eliminate your sleep debt. It may provide temporary relief, but the signs of sleep deprivation quickly resurface.

What is Sleep Deprivation?

Sleep deprivation is the harsh reality of being deprived of the restorative power of sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation is a prolonged state of not getting enough sleep, lasting for at least a month or more. In contrast, acute sleep deprivation is short-lived and often has a specific cause. Chronic sleep deprivation not only makes life miserable for the individual experiencing it but also has negative consequences for those around them.

Chronic sleep deprivation is a serious condition that occurs when a person consistently lacks sufficient sleep over a prolonged period. It can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health, as well as overall performance in various aspects of life. The causes of sleep deprivation can vary, but the result is the same – a persistent lack of sleep that can lead to serious consequences. It is crucial to identify and address chronic sleep deprivation to ensure optimal well-being and functioning. Are you getting enough sleep?

Unlike acute sleep deprivation, which typically lasts for a short period, chronic sleep deprivation can persist for weeks, months, or even years. While acute sleep deprivation often has a known cause, chronic sleep deprivation may or may not have an identifiable reason. However, it commonly involves consistently getting less sleep than necessary on most days, leading to a cycle of inadequate sleep followed by periods of excessive sleep and exhaustion.

For adults, it is recommended to have around 7-9 hours of sleep per day. Research has consistently shown that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per day, including naps, can have negative effects on almost everyone's well-being.

The severity of chronic sleep deprivation can vary from moderate to severe, depending on the extent of sleep deficit. To learn more about the symptoms associated with chronic sleep deprivation, continue reading.