IU vs Michigan courtesy of LC via iphone
Ok, here is a question for the class - do you find it easier to: A) stay up later than usual or B) wake up earlier than usual? Without a show of hands, I would guess that most people would find it easier to stay up later than to wake up earlier. Our biological clocks or rhythms tend to shift forward (i.e., later) rather than backward (i.e., earlier).
Last night we saw IU beat Michigan in a close and exciting game that put us back at home well past our usual bedtime. When faced with the fact that you’ve stayed up later than usual (e.g., on a Friday or Saturday night), what do you do when it’s time to set the alarm clock? Do you keep your regular wake-up time or do your change the alarm and sleep in?
We are often told to get a fixed number (6-8?) of hours of sleep each night, but there might be reasons to forego some sleep in order stay on track and build “sleep pressure.” What is sleep pressure, you ask?
Sleep pressure is a term that experts in sleep medicine use to refer to the tendency or likelihood to fall asleep. It’s not really a pressure in the scientific sense, but the general idea that the likelihood of falling asleep (pressure) builds with the time spent awake and is diminished with sleep. The biological mechanism underlying “sleep pressure” is thought to be related to adenosine signaling. Adenosine levels increase during wakefulness and decrease during sleep. The wakefulness-promoting effects of caffeine occur because caffeine blocks adenosine receptors.
So, when you stay up late, you have likely built up extra adenosine and sleep pressure (and its easy to fall asleep). Sleeping in helps diminish that sleep pressure, but you will be awake for fewer hours the following day (the day you slept in). This might make it more difficult to fall asleep on the following night because you build less sleep pressure while awake (the Sunday night insomnia effect). In contrast, if you forsake sleeping in, you will likely be more tired on that day (less sleep pressure was relieved during sleep), but you will likely build more sleep pressure that day, making it easier to get back on track and get to sleep the following night (not news: some caffeine in the morning can help temporarily reverse the effects of adenosine/excess sleep pressure).
So, consider resisting the urge to sleep in this weekend. It might help improve your ability to get to sleep on a regular basis.