Flourish Health & Wellbeing Magazine - Dec23 - Flipbook - Page 52
SLEEP
SLEEP
DEBT:
The unsettled account of rest
BY SLEEP HEALTH FOUNDATION
In today’s fast-paced world, the chase
for more wakeful hours o昀琀en comes at
the expense of much-needed sleep. This
chronic shor琀昀all culminates in what is
termed as ‘sleep debt’.
Unravelling the Workings of Sleep Debt
Sleep debt accrues when there’s a shor琀昀all
between the amount of sleep one a琀琀ains
versus the amount required for op琀椀mal
func琀椀oning. Governed by the circadian
rhythm and the sleep-wake homeostasis,
our body signals the need for rest. Each
missed hour of rest adds to the sleep debt,
which over 琀椀me, can wreak havoc on
health and cogni琀椀ve func琀椀ons.