Recovery from losing one hour of sleep can take up to 4 days, says Hyderabad-based Neurologist

Sharing a compelling message, Dr. Sudhir Kumar of Apollo Hospitals claims that losing one hour of sleep can have a huge effect, taking days to fully recover.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad neurologist’s post on ‘X’ advocating importance of sleep has gone viral on X, sparking widespread discussion online.

Sharing a compelling message, Dr. Sudhir Kumar of Apollo Hospitals claims that losing one hour of sleep can have a huge effect, taking days to fully recover.

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“If you lose just one hour of sleep, it could take four days to recover from that,” Dr Kumar posted on X, stating the serious repercussions of inadequate rest, including headaches, poor focus, increased irritability, and impaired decision-making.

The post on X went viral with over 95K views, 750 likes and many pouring with individuals sharing their relationship with sleep.

In response to a query about whether daytime sleep can compensate for nighttime sleep loss, Dr. Kumar affirmed, “Absolutely. Sleeping for 7-9 hours at night in one go is the best option. However, if someone can’t get the entire quota of sleep at night, he/she could compensate for the deficit by sleeping during the daytime (second best option).”

Dr. Kumar also provided guidance on the necessary hours of sleep required for different age groups to maintain a healthy life:

“The average daily amount of sleep needed, by age, is: Newborns (up to 3 months old): 14 to 17 hours. Infants (4 to 12 months old): 12 to 16 hours, including naptime. Young children (1 to 5 years old): 10 to 14 hours, including naptime. School-aged children (6 to 12 years old): 9 to 12 hours. Teenagers (13 to 18 years old): 8 to 10 hours. Adults (18 years and up): 7 to 9 hours,” he said.

The doctor’s statements have sparked much discussion online and brought attention to the often-overlooked issue of sleep hygiene, thereby enouraging individuals to understand and improve sleep patterns to enhance daily functioning and long-term health.

If you lose just one hour of sleep, it could take 4 days to recover from that.

Sleep deprivation can cause various symptoms, such as headache, poor focus and attention, increased irritability, poor judgement, poor decision making and increased sleepiness. #sleep #HealthyHabits

— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) May 21, 2024

The average daily amount of sleep needed, by age:

Newborns (up to 3 months old): 14 to 17 hours.
Infants (4 to 12 months old): 12 to 16 hours, including naptime.
Young children (1 to 5 years old): 10 to 14 hours, including naptime.
School-aged children (6 to 12 years old): 9… https://t.co/bZhbQPozPF

— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) May 21, 2024