“Lack of sleep is like being drunk,” explains sleep specialist and physician Bijoy E. John, MD, founder of Sleep Fix Academy. “If you are awake for more than 17 hours your cognition is similar to a person with blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%, or the level considered drunk for most countries,” Dr. John explains. It makes sense considering just how disorienting it can feel to try and go about your day while running on no sleep. “You are in a mental fog, often in a bad mood, and you are at risk of committing errors,” adds Dr. John.
“If you are awake for more than 17 hours, your cognition is similar to a person with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%, or the level considered drunk for most countries.”—Bijoy John, MD, sleep specialist, physician, and founder of Sleep Fix Academy
Not to mention, “a single sleepless night can disrupt your body’s balance, impairing cognitive functions, emotional stability, and immune response, highlighting just how crucial adequate sleep is for our overall health,” says licensed mental health counselor Natalie Rosado, LMHC, founder and owner of Tampa Counseling Place. But once the night is over, what can you do? We spoke to a handful of sleep experts to get the scoop on exactly what hacks they have for how to recover from a lack of sleep fast.
- Bijoy E. John, MD, founder of Sleep Fix Academy
- Joshua Tal, PhD, New York City-based sleep psychologist
- Kristie Tse, MA, LMHC, psychotherapist and founder at Uncover Mental Health Counseling
- Natalie Rosado, LMHC, founder of Tampa Counseling Place
- Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, neuropsychologist and founder of Comprehend the Mind
What does a sleepless night do to your body?
Besides being pretty uncomfortable, a lack of sleep for one night can also cause some problems down the line, which is why healthy sleeping habits can be so important. “In the short term, it impairs cognitive functions such as attention, concentration, and memory,” says Rosado.
When it comes to long term sleep difficulties, Rosado explains that “chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of cardiovascular issues like hypertension and heart disease, and disrupts metabolic processes, potentially leading to weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.”
How long does it take to recover from a lack of sleep?
As for precisely how long it takes to recover from sleep deprivation, the answer depends on what led to your sleepless night in the first place, and also your mental approach to the situation. First, it’s important to note that how you recover from sleep deprivation after one single sleepless night differs from how you might handle the effects of chronic insomnia. If you’re not clocking the recommended seven to eight hours of shut-eye each night for several nights in a row, you’ll accumulate sleep debt that then needs to be repaid in full—likely by getting back on track with proper sleep and wake times each day.
By contrast, a single sleepless night may not actually be worth, well, losing sleep over. “A critical ingredient to consider is control,” says sleep psychologist Joshua Tal, PhD. “Did you decide to stay up all night, or did you want to sleep but couldn’t manage to do so? The timelines for how long it takes to recover from sleep deprivation in these two scenarios are different.”
Typically, when a person feels in control of their sleep and can be at peace with the decision that they made to stay awake all night, they may feel tired the next day, but will also be more apt to fall asleep easily at their usual time that night, and effectively recover from the sleep loss within one to two days of reverting to that normal schedule, says Dr. Tal.
On the flip side, someone who tried to sleep but tossed and turned all night instead tends to have a different recovery timeline and experience. “The lack of control over sleep causes you to worry, and the more you worry about sleep, the more likely it is to evade you the next night, too,” says Dr. Tal. So, if the anxious cloud hovering over your sleep causes you to delay your bedtime the next night and for a few consecutive nights after that, too, then you start to shift into the territory of circadian-rhythm issues, adds Dr. Tal, making it tougher to realign your internal clock toward a healthy sleep schedule.
How to recover from lack of sleep fast
As for how to catch up on sleep and specifically, how to recover from lack of sleep fast, consider the following tips from the experts.
1. Get some bright outside light
“Exposure to natural light, especially in the morning, can help regulate your body’s internal clock and improve your mood and alertness,” says Rosado. If you can’t go outside for a walk, she suggests spending time near a window where you can still soak up plenty of sunlight.
When it comes to how to recover from lack of sleep fast, getting a few minutes of bright light can do wonders for your body and your mind, so it’s well worth a try—especially if you’re up already, which, unfortch: you probably are.
2. Try to fit in some light exercise
When you’re super groggy and feel like you’re already underwater, it can be tough to imagine making time for exercise, but doing so can actually boost alertness and mood, as psychotherapist Kristie Tse, MA, LMHC, founder at Uncover Mental Health Counseling explains. “Even simple activities like stretching or a brisk walk can help by increasing endorphin levels,” Tse says, adding that doing so can help revitalize both your body and mind.
Other options Tse recommends include yoga (even a quick Youtube routine can work here!) or a short walk around the neighborhood. Sure, your mind might be searching for quick ways on how to recover from lack of sleep fast, but treating your body and mind to light movement is not only a good way to make yourself feel better short term, but is also a healthy habit in the long run.
3. Resist the urge to "catch up on sleep" over the weekend
We know it's tempting to catch up on zzzs over the weekend by sleeping in each morning, but this may actually throw off your circadian rhythm even more. Recent studies suggest the practice does not counteract the harmful effects of sleep deprivation throughout the week, per the American Heart Association. In fact, a January 2024 study in Sleep found that sleep regularity (i.e., the day-to-day consistency of sleep-wake timing) is a stronger predictor for certain health outcomes than sleep duration itself.
In other words, staying consistent by going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day (including weekends) is more beneficial to your overall health than the amount you try to "catch up on." That said, if you're just plain tired once Saturday rolls around, one hour max of extra shut-eye likely won't hurt.
4. Eat a large breakfast and stay hydrated
Tse also recommends eating a large, healthy, balanced breakfast. “A meal rich in proteins, whole grains, and fruits can provide the necessary energy and nutrients to help you feel more alert and focused throughout the day,” she says, adding that foods like eggs, oatmeal, and berries are great for a quick, yet nutritious breakfast. By prioritizing brekky, you can also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels and improve concentration. “This small adjustment can mitigate the exhaustion and allow you to function more effectively until you can catch up on rest,” she adds.
“It’s crucial to start the day with a nutritious breakfast,” agrees neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, founder of Comprehend the Mind. “Focus on foods that provide sustained energy, such as whole grains, fruits, and protein,” Dr. Hafeez says, adding that you’ll also want to make sure you’re drinking enough water. This will help combat fatigue and keep you alert, she says.
5. Utilize aromatherapy
Just as there are certain scents for sleep, it makes sense that there are scents for wakefulness. Another smart trick for how to recover from lack of sleep fast is to utilize these scents in essential oils or other fragrances. “Aromatherapy can be a surprisingly effective way to enhance alertness and mood after a sleepless night,” says Rosado. Go for scents like peppermint, eucalyptus, and citrus as these can stimulate your senses and provide an instant-pick-me-up, Rosado adds. “You can use these oils in a diffuser, as a room spray, or even dab a small amount on your wrists or temples for a quick boost,” she adds.
6. Change the narrative around sleep.
It’s good to prioritize sleep, but be wary of over-prioritizing it or putting it on a pedestal. “I always tell my patients not to turn sleep into an unrequited love,” says Dr. Tal. “The more you chase sleep and let it balloon into something that you desperately want but can’t have, the more you’ll effectively scare it away.”
Instead, make the active mental decision to be okay with a fitful or sleep-free night every now and then, and view each night as another positive opportunity to get the sleep you need. (Again, this is a different situation from chronic or comorbid insomnia, both of which should be treated with support from a medical professional.)
7. Take a power nap the next afternoon.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering “How long should an adult nap” (usually right before setting an alarm for something on the longer side of that), you’re not alone. But the science actually leans towards the fact that shorter naps are better for you.
“Up to half an hour between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m. should be the maximum length of time for a nap; however, any longer than that, and you could dip into deeper stages of sleep, which can use up some of what we call your sleep drive, which is the natural drive you feel to sleep at night,” says Dr. Tal. By contrast, a brief 30-minute nap can help you combat fatigue and even boost your mood without interfering with your ability to fall asleep later on.
8. Let your body self-correct the next night
Returning to your usual sleep pattern the night after a bout of sleeplessness will help preserve your circadian rhythm (which is your internal 24-hour clock that causes you to get sleepy around the same time each night and wake up around the same time each morning). If you feel extra-tired in the evening following your sleep-free night, you can go to bed a bit sooner, but Dr. Tal recommends not adjusting your usual bedtime more than an hour, even on weekends.
“Sleep is self-correcting, so whenever you miss out on some of those deeper stages of sleep, your body can over-correct by giving you a higher prevalence of that high-quality sleep over the course of the following few nights, even if you’re sleeping the same total amount of time as usual.” Which is all to say, when you fall short on sleep for a single night, don’t sweat it: You can, quite literally, rest assured that your body will have it handled in (almost) no time.
—reviewed by Angela Holliday-Bell, MD
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