Sleep Banking

The concept of sleep banking is controversial and traditionally we have assumed that it is not possible to build up a reserve of sleep to see you through a time where you know your sleep will be disrupted. There have been several studies that have suggested otherwise and there is now room to explore the possibility and certainly more research is needed.

In one experiment(1) two groups were compared, one of whom slept normally for a week (average 7 hours) and the second slept for up to 9 hours, all participants were then restricted to 3 hours sleep for a week. Those in the long sleeping group showed better performance in psychomotor testing and also more rapid recovery following the week of disrupted sleep suggesting a protective effect of the additional ‘banked’ sleep. 

We know that sleep deprivation even after one night of disrupted sleep can cause issues with mood, concentration, appetite and perception of physical exertion and we all know that it is important to get a good nights sleep before an important event to avoid these side effects but storing up sleep over a period of time is a very different concept. 

Another study looked at the impact of additional sleep in advance of habitual shift work showed that it improves performance and acute fatigue again suggesting that ‘sleep banking’ may be a real phenomenon. The main issue with the research so far is that the perceived effects of sleep banking may be no more than people who are chronically sleep deprived having the correct amount of sleep for the first time and recording the downstream positive impact of this.

There is good evidence that sleep extension has significant effects on both mood and performance; most studies have been performed in elite athletes who extended their sleep window up to 10 hours. Significant impacts were seen in all aspects of mood and physical performance- this finding has been repeated across multiple studies in different groups and there is no doubt that there is a real effect. Again, this may be the result of people having sufficient sleep rather than banking sleep per se.

We know that napping improves mood, alertness and concentration. Napping is now a regular part of the rest and recovery regime for many high-performance individuals. If you don’t have problems falling and staying asleep at night then a 20-30 minute nap in the mid afternoon will be sufficient to make you feel more alert but without the groggy feeling that often comes with longer naps.

In summary the evidence for sleep banking is mixed- what is very clear is that more or at least sufficient sleep will improve all aspects of performance and that most people are chronically sleep deprived to a degree with most having little insight into the fact. If there is a big event planned then it would certainly be worth increasing the amount of sleep in the weeks leading up to it and otherwise I usually recommend a trial of sleep extension to most clients to see how they feel after a week or so- this is the only real way to discover if your sleep is sufficient in duration. Finally, a short nap before a big event may give an extra edge when it comes to performing at your best.