So, I have never been good at getting to sleep. I found out that sleep hygiene was a thing, and it was a thing I was not good at. I am very not good at sleep and especially appropriate and adequate sleep. Just not something I am great at.

Anywhoozlebee… this morning around 5:10 I heard one of the dogs barking like a maniac outside. I was finally asleep, so I did not think much of it.. Until I smelled the skunk. My eyes bolted open and I was out of the bed in a second. I made sure that both dogs did not stink of skunk as much as they just smelled like doggos. Tank goodness, they only pissed off a skunk and did not get pissed on by a skunk. Sure the odor wafted into the bed room and it was bad enough to give that feeling of tasting a smell… a bad smell. Ugh… i was not able to get back to sleep… So I was up at 5:30… I did not fall asleep until 2 this morning.

I am running om empty, my friends, empty. Ergo today’s topic is “Sleep Debt.” I asked ChatGPT to generate 40 questions that I could cull down to a svelte 20. So one prompt later and a large glass of water being gulped by the LLM, we have some questions.

Let’s do this! On to the questions!

1. What is sleep debt, in plain language, and what makes it different from just “being tired”?

Sleep debt is when you accumulate a lack of sleep over time. Typically one does not think about sleep debt in one night. That is just a bad night of sleep. Sleep debt is where you are not getting enough restorative sleep over time.

2. How can you tell the difference between sleep debt and burnout, depression, or simple boredom?

Sleep debt is more of a symptom of other issues. Burnout, depression and boredom can be a root cause for sleep debt.

3. Can you fully repay sleep debt, or do some effects linger even after you rest?

It is not a one to one debt like when you owe money. A good long bout of resoratove sleep can erase the debt. That being said, the whole concept of sleep “debt” is that it is a significant deficit.

4. How many hours of sleep do you personally need to feel like a functioning adult human?

I am best when I get between 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night. I typically get around 4 to 6 hrs a night

5. What’s your earliest warning sign that sleep debt is building?

It is a day that ends in “y.” Yep… that debt is accruing… or is it accreting.

6. How does it change your thinking: attention, memory, creativity, decision-making?

It hurts all of those pretty badly. Attention and memory tend to go worse for me

7. What is the relationship between sleep debt and caffeine (helpful tool vs. loan shark)?

Oh, caffeine is a crutch for knees that don’t work.

8. How does alcohol interact with sleep debt (even if it “helps” you fall asleep)?

Alcohol can assist with getting to sleep, but the quality of that sleep is not good. Getting to sleep is helpful, but that sleep not being very restorative.

9. What role do screens play: doom-scrolling, late-night work, “one more video,” blue light, etc.?

Oh, screens are terrible for sleep. Regardless of the task, screens are bad for the slumber.

10. How does sleep debt affect relationships (patience, misread tone, conflict)?

Well… it’s not good.

11. What’s the difference between a late night that feels “worth it” and one that doesn’t?

Productivity and activity. “Worth it” requires generative energy. The late nights that do not generate are not worth it.

12. What’s one sleep habit you know helps but struggle to maintain?

Meditation. Mediation is good for clearing the head from the junk your brain creates for you. I know I should meditate for at least 10 minutes every day, however, I usually do it for 0 minutes a day. Maybe that is a change I can make in my life… thoughts?

13. What’s your most realistic “sleep debt repayment plan” for a normal week?

Hope that you can sleep in at least 2 days of the week.

14. Which part of you is most responsible for sleep debt: your ambitions, your anxiety, your phone, or your past?

A little of columns a, b, c, and d on that one. I would say that past and anxiety are the main culpruts though.

15. What’s the most convincing lie sleep debt tells you when you’re deep in it?

One more game/level/chapter

16. Which emotion gets louder when you’re sleep-deprived: anger, sadness, fear, or apathy?

Apathy… although apathy doesn’t get super loud, just immutable.

17. What does “rest” mean to you that isn’t sleep—and why do you confuse the two?

Presumptuous… I do not confuse the 2. Rest is nice, but doesn’t reset the brainwaves.

18. Who benefits from your sleep debt (you, your boss, your phone, your coping mechanisms, your calendar)?

No one. No one at all, especially me, my partner, kids, and coworkers.

19. If you could send a message to your younger self about sleep, what would you say—and would they listen?

Teach yourself to go to sleep when you are young. Don’t fight sleep too much as a kid, it will impact you later. I never really learned how to fall asleep, so now I wait until I am exhausted to fall asleep.

20. Finish this sentence in your own voice: “My sleep debt isn’t laziness; it’s _____.”

Inevitability.

To recap:

I need 3 days of solid sleep
Not 72 hours of sleep
21 hours of sleep over the course of 72 hours
That would be amazing
I need to draw some more
Someone tell me to draw something
I have about 3 unfinished drawings right now
A knight astride a mighty crab steed in front of a sand castle
I have a prelim sketch done,that I need to transfer to a larger drawing
The use of the spell, “Summon BIgger Fish” as used in Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace
The initial ink linework is done, but I need to add color to it and then final inks
And a gladiatorial shark
I am going pretty hard into the weirdly non-anthropomorphized animals doing human things right now
Dude, I need some sleep
Or some ice cream
Ice cream is as good as sleep, right?
Been having a hard time getting into the Olympics this year
I guess democracy imploding is a bit of an existential distraction from a bunch of people doing things on snow and ice
Dude, I am so Gen X, I say “Dude” a bunch
Happy birthday to Theo, it is weird working with someone who is the same age as one of my kids
Commissions are open
Pen, ink, marker, digital, cartography, graphic design etc…
Inquire within
Do the thing with substack
Or do the other thing with Medium
I love all of you
That is the sleep debt talking
Have a great week everyone