When I get a lack of sleep (or especially multiple nights of bad sleep), I often have a splitting headache the next day that makes me unfunctional and worsens until I get more sleep. Other people I’m with have the exact same sleeping routines and never get any headaches, and can still function despite being tired. What’s wrong with me?

  • qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    Some people don’t require the same amount of sleep to function. I sometimes go weeks only sleeping 4-6 hours a night without being too drained, while my wife is exhausted if she gets less than 8 hours of sleep for a single night. Also, some people need a similar sleep schedule nightly while others can be sleep deprived on the weekdays and make up for the deficit on the weekends.

    • PlogLod@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I did read about a long-sleeper gene and a short-sleeper gene, which made me curious if I could be a long-sleeper

        • Cyclist@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are devastating, dementia being the main problem. Check out some of the research on the subject.

          • qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            While this sounds scary, I don’t know what I am supposed to do to address the issue. I can’t force myself to sleep an extra 3-4 hours a night. I just wake up and can’t fall back asleep.

            • thews@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              I am on a cycle right now where I can’t sleep without ambien and 300mcg melatonin. I’ve struggled with falling and/or staying asleep my whole life. My brain will calm down some and ill taper off of the ambien again at some point.

              Besides the long term health, i am just not a pleasure to be around if i run on no sleep.

    • Zeroc00l@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Different people need different amounts of sleep to function and be healthy, but you can’t “make up for the deficit”. If your body needs 8 hours per day and you sleep for 4 hours one night and 12 the next, your body doesn’t net it out. (Just using 8 hours as an example, it could be different)

      • qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        From my understanding, the science for and against this is still being researched. I know it’s not a 1:1 “catch-up” period, but I believe that you can somewhat balance your sleep debt over the course of several days to some effectiveness.