Are you getting enough sleep?

Everyone needs sleep. How much they need varies, but eight hours a night will usually do. Most people don't get anywhere near that amount, and lost sleep becomes a 'sleep debt'.

Time zone changes, internal body clock disruptions and irregular food and exercise patterns can all result in a sleep debt. Making difficult decisions is not easy if you are sleepy, jet lagged and not at your peak.

Work out how much sleep you owe your body and find out how to recover if your sleep account is in the red.

Step 1
Add up the number of hours' sleep you've had over the last week from Monday to Friday. Don't include the weekend.

Step 2
Think about a day when you felt alert and at your peak. How many hours of sleep did you get the night before? If you are not sure, put eight hours. Multiply that number by five.

Step 3
Subtract the number in Step 2 from the number in Step 1.

The number you are left with is your sleep debt. If it's positive or zero your sleep account is in the black!

"The good news is that it is easy to pay back a sleep debt. Depending on how much in debt you may be, two nights of at least eight hours of deep sleep should get you back into balance."

Dr Chris Idzikowski, Sleep Expert