Losing a single night of sleep can indeed impair cognitive functions, but the duration and extent of impairment can vary. Research suggests that after just one night of sleep deprivation, cognitive functions like attention, reasoning, and decision-making are affected, and this impact can last beyond the immediate day after. Some studies show that full recovery of cognitive function may take up to 3-4 days, depending on how much sleep debt was accrued and how well the recovery sleep is.
However, the effects are not equally severe for everyone, and some cognitive abilities might bounce back faster than others. While it's important to catch up on sleep, recovery can differ depending on individual resilience and the sleep quality afterward.
