Is sleeping less than 6 hours a night the equivalent to being drunk?

Do you really know?
Jun 16, 2025 4 min
Is sleeping less than 6 hours a night the equivalent to being drunk?
Open in Clue

About this episode

We've all been there - it's late, you're exhausted, but sleep just won't come. You toss and turn, check the clock every few minutes, and the longer you're awake, the more anxious you feel about how little rest you're going to get. Morning comes, and even though you're barely functioning, you drag yourself out of bed, grab a coffee, and stumble through the day in a fog. And it’s not just your imagination. When you sleep less than six hours a night, your brain starts to operate as if you were legally drunk. What do researchers mean by "drunk"? Why compare sleep deprivation to alcohol? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Why do people say that black cats bring bad luck? What are the dirtiest objects in your home? Why do we get travel sick? A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this episode in English to learn English

Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Is sleeping less than 6 hours a night the equivalent to being drunk? from Do you really know? gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

In the Clue app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.