Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Insufficient sleep accumulates debt”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest on ATV Main News. Tarhan, making evaluations on “Falling Asleep Quickly,” emphasized that falling asleep quickly is not always an indicator of good sleep. Tarhan stated that falling asleep in less than 5 minutes for the majority of one's sleep is an “alarm sign,” drawing attention to the fact that excessively rapid sleep onset can be a sign of accumulated sleep debt and certain sleep disorders. Furthermore, Tarhan stated that the essential for healthy sleep is to wake up refreshed in the morning and to establish a sleep pattern aligned with one's biological rhythm; “Insufficient sleep accumulates debt,” he said.

“Falling asleep quickly is not always an indicator of good sleep”

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that falling asleep quickly is not always an indicator of good and healthy sleep in terms of sleep hygiene, and that under normal circumstances, a person's sleep onset latency is 10-20 minutes. Tarhan; “There's a cliché we use in our inquiries about sleep hygiene: ‘Sleep accumulates debt.’ Falling asleep quickly is not always an indicator of good sleep. Just as not sleeping is a problem for the brain, excessive sleep can also be a problem. In fact, extremely rapid sleep onset is often considered a distress signal from the brain. Under normal circumstances, a person's sleep onset latency, which is the time it takes to fall asleep, is 10-20 minutes. If it exceeds 20 minutes, there is insomnia, a condition we call initial insomnia. If a person falls asleep very quickly, it means the sleep onset latency is very short. Some people say; ‘I fall asleep 10 cm before my head hits the pillow.’ Having this kind of sleep every day, continuously, means there is an accumulated sleep debt and is a sign of sleep deprivation. People might experience rapid sleep onset during the day when they are very tired, as this is interpreted as the body needing sleep, the brain sending a message like, ‘I need sleep, I have a sleep debt.’