''Out perceiving'' fatigue from short term sleep deprivation

[Dominic Simon]

I know you guys are pretty big on the way the brain (aswell as the body works), e.g. feeling like a shit doesn't necessary mean anything if the numbers are still going up, back stiffness is often a perception and not a real issue with the tissue, etc, and then there is the whole placebo/nocebo thing etc.

How relevant do you think these principles are to fatigue that is specifically induced as a result of sleep deprivation (as opposed to training stress), I.E can you convince yourself you are not tired and still train at a highly productive rate for weeks on end without having to reduce volume or intensity? I am guessing this is what you guys did or had experience with while at med school?

NB: By short term, I mean 1-2 months, not a few days, and by sleep deprivation, I'm talking anywhere between 3-5 hours a night.

I ask this generally, because I do understand that sleep hygiene, possible genetics, the quality of sleep and other lifestyle factors will also be relevant.

[Austin Baraki]

can you convince yourself you are not tired and still train at a highly productive rate for weeks on end without having to reduce volume or intensity? I am guessing this is what you guys did or had experience with while at med school?

NB: By short term, I mean 1-2 months, not a few days, and by sleep deprivation, I'm talking anywhere between 3-5 hours a night.

I ask this generally, because I do understand that sleep hygiene, possible genetics, the quality of sleep and other lifestyle factors will also be relevant.

The idea is that, yes, that degree of sleep restriction will likely have accumulating physiologic effects the longer you are subjected to it. The severity of these effects is, as you noted, likely variable between individuals, and you do not have significant control over them.

However, your interpretation of the situation can certainly compound the problem.

For example, if you've been convinced (by yourself or by someone else you trust) that you absolutely need 8 hours of sleep to function at all, then the knowledge that you've slept less will have a greater effect on your performance than it otherwise would. We see this a lot in people who either 1) catastrophize a lot, or 2) are data-obsessed, and track every bit of data they can about themselves.

This is where you can "intervene" from a psychological standpoint to reduce the negative effects; however, I would not go so far as to say that you could "think yourself out of fatigue" related to sleeping 3 hours a night for weeks on end.

More here: http://www.barbellmedicine.com/placebo-sleep/