Do you: rely on caffeine to get you through the day? sleep longer on the weekend than on weeknights? pull the occasional all-nighter? You’re doing it wrong. Watch my video . Subscribe to for similar content. on YouTube my channel When you sleep 6 hours or less in a given night, you don’t allow your body to heal itself. This can make you hungrier, weaker, dumber, sicker, less-focused, and more prone to mood swings. It’s not what had in mind. Daft Punk But I can make it up on the weekend! Photo by on Anthony DELANOIX Unsplash There is a concept called sleep debt. Say you sleep 6 hours on weeknights and 10 hours on the weekend, when you should be getting about 8 hours — a typical routine. If you do the math, this would put your total sleep debt at 6 hours for the week (5 days * -2 hours + 2 days * 2 hours = -6 hours). Maybe you even recover your sleep debt entirely within a week, such that your debt is 0 hours. Researchers now have evidence that you can never fully recover from more than 20 hours of sleep debt. The problem is this: . It’s whether you can completely recover from short-term sleep loss—up to a few nights—by making up sleep debt. But chronic sleep loss is a different story entirely. sleep debt is not zero-sum up for debate Researchers now have evidence that you can from more than 20 hours of sleep debt. In our typical routine of 6 hours’ debt per week, you would reach 20 hours of debt within 4 weeks. never fully recover So no, you really can’t make up for lost sleep on the weekend. No time to sleep. Gotta get to the gym! Photo by on Scott Webb Unsplash Diet and exercise are widely recognized as the pillars of health. But what if I told you sleep is even more important? When you work out, you actually need more sleep to recover. If you don’t sleep adequately both before and after a workout: your muscles won’t grow as much as they could you’ll be less likely to achieve PRs you’ll expose yourself to a higher injury risk you may suffer from chronic inflammation You would be better off going to the gym less often and sleeping more. This way, your body is fully recovered after each workout and prepared for the next session. I get by fine on 6 hours! Photo by on Lily Lvnatikk Unsplash Oh, you think you are an exception? There is a group of people known as , who can thrive on just 6 hours of sleep. short sleepers Less than 1% of the population has the genetic variant to be a short sleeper. But less than 1% of the population has to be a short sleeper. You’re more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than to be part of this group of sleepless elite. the genetic variant The more often you deprive yourself of a full night’s sleep, the more you feel that it’s not a problem. But just because you feel fine . It’s a lot like alcohol consumption. doesn’t mean you are fine Here are some additional side effects of chronic short sleep: Smaller testicles Compared to those getting adequate sleep, males who don’t get enough sleep may have: a 29% reduced sperm count more deformities in the remaining sperm lower counts of testosterone smaller testicles That is in addition to reduced athletic performance. Disrupted menstrual cycles Males are not the only ones who suffer when they lose sleep. Short sleep is , and it can wreak havoc on menstrual cycles. associated with infertility Ugly facial appearance People who got less-than-needed sleep for just one night were rated as appearing significantly than those who got a full night of sleep. less attractive and healthy Heart attack risk Those who chronically sleep 6 hours or less per night are than those sleeping 7+ hours to suffer from a fatal heart attack or stroke in their lifetime. 200% more likely Obesity When you are sleep-deprived, you tend to have a strong appetite. The hormone ghrelin, which is associated with hunger, increases. Meanwhile, the hormone leptin, which is associated with satiety, decreases. Stressed-out and hungry, you are more likely to reach for . unhealthy foods In addition, when the body hasn’t had enough sleep, it can’t process the foods you’ve consumed appropriately. This contributes to elevated blood sugar. Over the long term, unhealthy overeating is associated with weight gain and obesity. More likely to get sick People who slept 6 hours or less for one night were to catch a cold when exposed to a virus, compared to those who slept more than 7 hours in the same night. 4x more likely Further reading Photo by on Jason Blackeye Unsplash Esteemed sleep researcher recently published the book *. It explores the mechanisms and rationale behind sleep in an easy-to-understand manner. You can find the book in , , and format*. Matt Walker Why We Sleep hardcover Kindle Audible Programmer extraordinaire says . This guy created a widely-used and runs a , so it’s not like his advice comes from left field. DHH sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor web programming framework successful company You may also be interested in my recent article, , as well as the associated with this article. 5 Hacks for the Best Sleep Ever video Thanks for reading. If you liked this article, please hit the clap button above and share with your friends. 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