Why Is Sleep Important?

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Fatigue management is a vital consideration for all of us. Being alert when we need to be goes beyond getting good, consistent sleep (though this is obviously a necessity). Think of the times that you became drowsy while driving or had to fight sleep during a boring class. And think about your personal strategies in which you engage when you need to perk up (e.g., get up and walk around, have a cup of coffee, stand in the back of the room, etc.).

These are quick fixes for short periods of time. However, for some, effective fatigue management goes beyond our normal, everyday challenges with wakefulness. For those that have jobs where various missions or off-cycle work negate their ability to sleep or to sleep enough, more significant and/or tailored strategies are needed.

Sleep banking is an interesting notion and one that is getting increased attention. Sleep banking is essentially extending your normal sleep hours in the nights leading up to a known period of sleep deprivation. On the face of it, it appears unlikely banking sleep could counter the decreased alertness and other cognitive decrements that we experience when deprived of sleep, or stop that strong sensation we get when our body wants sleep (i.e., sleep pressure).

But in 2009 an Army study compared people who got their regular hours of sleep for a week to a group that spent 10 hours in bed during those same nights. This was followed by 3 nights of only 3 hours of time in bed allowed for both groups. Surprisingly, the group that had “banked” sleep, performed better on a measure of alertness during the sleep restricted time period and recovered faster from the sleep deprivation.

Another study in 2015 found similar results. A group who had 6 nights of extended sleep prior to 21 hours of total sleep deprivation, had improved sustained attention and decreased daytime sleepiness going into the deprivation period as well as during the sleep deprivation period, and recovered from the sleep debt more quickly than the group who engaged in their normal sleep prior to the sleep deprivation period.

A more recent study looked at the effects of a week of sleep extension on a 40-hour period of total sleep deprivation in which participants had to make quick decisions during a task with emotional/neutral stimuli and attentional interference. Again, findings suggest that sleep extension prior to sleep deprivation facilitates better decision-making.

While there is evidence supporting a potential benefit of sleep banking, there are also viable arguments against the theory. One concern is simply that humans are not designed to sleep when they don’t need sleep, thus the notion of banking does not make physiological sense. And, when you think about trying to force yourself to sleep when you don’t need it, you know that it is difficult. A second argument against the notion of sleep banking is that measurable improvements seen in the studies, were more likely due to the resolution of sleep debt, which also has measurable benefits on cognition and wakefulness.

Why Is Sleep Important?

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But back to the original question. Can you bank sleep? And the answer is that we don’t currently know. However, there does seem to be some benefit to sleep extension prior to an upcoming, known period of sleep deprivation. While the jury is out as to the mechanism of action in sleep extension, there is evidence that either the sleep banking or the resolution of sleep debt through sleep extension prior to a period of sleep deprivation may help individuals both during the event and in facilitating recovery afterwards.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this blog is not a substitute for professional advice or medical treatment. If you believe that you have a sleep disorder or other medical condition, seek consultation with your primary care provider.

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