Calculate Your Sleep Deprivation

Sleep History

Sleep Deprivation 2025: The Silent Performance Killer

1 in 3 adults are sleep-deprived. Chronic short sleep (<6 hrs) increases mortality by 12% and costs economies $680 billion/year. Use our calculator to measure your weekly sleep debt, cognitive impairment, and health risks.

Recommended Sleep by Age (2025 AASM)

Age GroupHours/Night
18–257–9
26–647–9
65+7–8
Athletes9–10

Sleep Debt Explained

Sleep debt = (needed – actual) × 7. Example: 8 needed, 6 actual → 14 hrs/week debt. Payback requires 2–3 nights of extended sleep.

Cognitive Effects

  • 17–19 hrs awake = 0.05% BAC (drunk driving level)
  • 24 hrs awake = 0.10% BAC
  • Chronic 6 hrs/night = 30% ↓ reaction time
  • Memory consolidation ↓ 40% with <7 hrs

Health Risks

  • Heart Disease: +48% risk with <6 hrs
  • Diabetes: +300% insulin resistance
  • Obesity: +55% in children, +89% in adults
  • Cancer: Disrupted circadian rhythm ↑ risk
  • Immunity: 4x more likely to catch cold

Productivity & Economic Cost

  • Sleep-deprived workers: 2.5x error rate
  • US cost: $411 billion/year in lost output
  • Japan: "Karoshi" (death from overwork) linked to <5 hrs sleep

Sleep Architecture

  • Deep Sleep (N3): Physical restoration, growth hormone
  • REM Sleep: Memory, learning, mood
  • Adults need 20–25% REM, 13–23% deep
  • Short sleep cuts REM first

Common Disruptors

  • Caffeine: Half-life 5–6 hrs
  • Blue Light: Suppresses melatonin 50%
  • Stress: ↑ cortisol, ↓ deep sleep
  • Alcohol: Fragments sleep, ↓ REM

How to Fix Sleep Debt

  1. Consistent schedule: Same bedtime ±30 min
  2. Dark, cool room: 16–18°C, blackout curtains
  3. No screens 1 hr before bed
  4. Wind-down routine: Reading, meditation
  5. Limit caffeine after noon
  6. Exercise early: Not within 3 hrs of bed

Power Naps

  • 10–20 min: ↑ alertness 54%
  • 90 min: Full cycle, clears debt
  • Avoid 30–60 min: Sleep inertia

Science Facts

  • 1 hr sleep debt = 1 day cognitive aging
  • Weekend catch-up reduces risk but not fully
  • Women need 20 min more sleep than men
  • Genetics: DEC2 mutation allows 6 hrs with no deficit

Related Tools

FAQs

Can I pay back sleep debt? Partially. Best to prevent.

Is 6 hours enough? Only for <1% genetic short sleepers.

Naps replace night sleep? No. Naps help but don’t restore REM/deep fully.

Conclusion

Sleep isn’t a luxury — it’s biological maintenance. Track your debt, fix your habits, and reclaim your brain, body, and life.

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