How many hours of sleep did you lose this weekend? Did a late Saturday party turn too quickly into an early Sunday homework alarm? In the Scientific American article: Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep? describes a "sleep deficit" you accumulate every night when you don't get as much sleep as you should.

Many students think that every night their sleep cycle can simply restart. Didn't get enough sleep the night before? One good night's sleep should make up for a couple of late nights - right? In fact, the SA article says sleep deficit "grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly slumber". Instead of fixing the problem when you sleep in until 2pm on the weekend, you're only paying off a little of your sleep debt.

Fortunately, the article also describes some options for erasing your sleep debt entirely. Although it takes some time, and may require rearranging your schedule to allow for healthier sleep patterns, the health benefits of getting the proper amount of sleep far outweigh the sacrifices you need to make. By allowing your body to fall into a natural sleep cycle, one without alarms or late nights in the library, you can feel better and be more productive while you're awake.

Check out the Scientific American article: Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep?. It's nearly summer and just about time to start paying off that sleep debt you've spent all year building up.