Yesterday, Science Tanslational Medicine published the article Uncovering Residual Effects of Chronic Sleep Loss on Human Performance. Researchers determined that, after an extended period of sleep loss (working too much for too long), one night of catch-up sleep offers only marginal benefit. The researchers determined that for a few hours after waking from the catch-up sleep, a person performed well. But, after a few hours, the effects of the cumulative sleep loss contributed to lower performance.

This study was timely for me. I am self-employed and have been working 14 to 20 hour days for a long time. Wednesday moring I worked until 7am (I started Tuesday morning). I went home, slept for 90 minutes, and was back at work in time for a 10:30am meeting. I worked until 11:30pm that evening before going home to a blissful 8 hour sleep. I have been roaring through today as if I slept for week.  But, now at 10pm I am getting a bit tired.

I sure hope that article is not correct about the effects of sleep wearing off. I need to get some work done and who has time to sleep 8 hours a night every night.