The claimEvidence B · meta-analysis
Lying in bed for 4 h still counts as rest
The evidence
Lying awake does not clear adenosine, the molecule that builds sleep pressure, does not reach deep sleep (NREM stage 3), and does not clear beta-amyloid. It beats scrolling, but it is not a substitute for sleep.
The mechanism, in brief
The popular beliefs about all-nighters fall into two groups by where they go wrong: illusions about subjective versus objective, and illusions about short term versus long term.
Sources (5)
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- Spiegel, K., Leproult, R., & Van Cauter, E. (1999). Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. The Lancet, 354(9188), 1435–1439.
- Rupp, T. L., Wesensten, N. J., Bliese, P. D., & Balkin, T. J. (2009). Banking sleep: realization of benefits during subsequent sleep restriction and recovery. Sleep, 32(3), 311–321.
- Knowles, O. E., Drinkwater, E. J., Urwin, C. S., Lamon, S., & Aisbett, B. (2018). Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: implications for resistance training. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(9), 959–968.