sleep debt

[sleep det]

noun

1. the difference between the amount of sleep a person needs and the actual amount of time spent sleeping, when the amount needed exceeds the time slept.

   The cumulative effect of sleep debt—over days, weeks, or longer—can be linked to a number of physical, emotional, and cognitive impairments.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleep debt¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The benefits of napping are strongest for people who have sleep debt, meaning they don’t get enough nighttime sleep.

Read more on Scientific American

“The sleep debt collectors are coming,” Oliver Whang wrote in The Times last year.

Read more on New York Times

“I need to sleep well tonight, too. There’s a lot more sleep debt.”

Read more on Washington Times

Alex's sleep debt quickly accumulated and began to affect her mental health as she blamed herself for not getting her son to sleep the way the courses said he would, or could.

Read more on Salon

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to what experts call sleep debt: hours of sleep you’ve lost and haven’t made up over time.

Read more on Washington Post