Each individual has a specific daily sleep requirement. This is the amount of sleep that must be obtained each day on the average to avoid becoming sleep deprived. If the needed amount is not obtained, the lost sleep accumulates progressively as a larger and larger sleep indebtedness.
- William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D
How do we handle the sleep indebtedness? Is it like a bank, where we can make deposits, say over a weekend, to balance the debt we accrued over the week? Or is it a case where once we overdraw our account, there is no recourse?
With regard to my and my husband’s sleep apnea situations, which he writes about on occasion in our blog -(http://boomerlifestyle.com/blog/worried-that-you-may-actually-have-sleep-apnea-realization-often-comes-slowly/)- we DO make serious attempts to get at least six hours of sleep nightly. And given that we are now both using PAP machines, this ought to be sleep of a much better quality than we formerly received prior to our diagnoses.
But I wonder: would a young parent, whose sleep is interrupted by their children, ever balance their sleep accounts if it’s not possible to “bank sleep?” Especially if that parent also has sleep apnea?
Just curious!
Thanks!
Comment by boomerco2008 — October 28, 2008 @ 4:03 am