Realistically speaking, you probably often find yourself, like many other Americans, staying up late and getting up early in the morning, resulting in less sleep. You also probably tell yourself “okay, I will catch up on it when things settle down”, but, can you actually catch up on lost sleep? Is there any way you can make up for it? The experts’ opinions are rather varied. Some support the claim and some go against it, however, the thing they do agree on is that sleep is highly individualized. Many studies have been done to help prove the quality of one’s sleep in the end highly depends on one’s genes. Regardless of your genes, though, if you miss out on getting enough sleep consistently, it is advised you look into solving your problem with any of the plentiful solutions. Feeling Drowsy? Back in 2005, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) carried out a survey which clearly showed that Americans don’t get enough sleep; but most of us already knew that. As experts claim, you need 8 hours of sleep per night to function properly, but the same survey showed 35 per cent of Americans don’t get enough sleep averaging at about 6.9 hours per night. What Do the Experts Say? Lacking sleep can be shown in various symptoms; and regardless of noticing just a few or all of them, you are probably trying to make up for that loss by catching up on the weekends. However, many experts aren’t convinced it is actually possible. As a widely known fact, sleep is very individualized, so what works for one person, doesn’t necessarily have to work for any other. In this case, the best possible thing you can do is get yourself familiarized with the recommended methods and things to know about making up for lost sleep. Can You Actually Catch Up on Sleep? Even though it would be the perfect scenario, experts generally agree once you lose sleep it is indeed lost. The difference between the amount of sleep one should be getting and the amount one is actually getting is commonly referred to as “sleep debt” and it is an issue which develops and “grows” over time. Even though it may seem like its effects spring up suddenly, they have, in fact, been developing for a while. In that sense, it is better to act quickly and stop them from culminating.