Sleep debt cannot be ignored indefinitely, Dement says. Sleep debt is always driving the brain toward sleep. Even a little sleep debt can affect people. For optimal functioning, it's best to get enough sleep every night. But if you can't, experts say, you should try to make up for the sleep loss as soon as you can.
Many people try to catch up on lost shut-eye by sleeping in on the weekends or taking naps.
Often that only makes a small dent in a large sleep debt, Dement says. He says people who need an alarm clock to wake up on time often are jolted out of a deep sleep because the brain is not ready to wake up. Today Not getting enough sleep is dangerous to your mental and physical health. A selection of questions will be answered next week by national sleep experts. Monday Many Americans are suffering from sleep problems such as insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy.