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This is a really interesting topic. I've noticed a definite pattern in my life over, say, the past year or so.
I'll get to a time where there's a stress in work or life, and my sleep quality and quantity start to diminish. During those times, I won't get prolonged, truly relaxing sleep even if I have the time and proper setting to do so. After a week or so, I start noticing that I'm a little more edgy with people. I also tend to make quicker decisions because I can't do prolonged thinking.
Then for whatever reason, the anxiety causing event passes. You would think that that very night I would get a great night's sleep, but usually it doesn't happen that way. Typically starting the next night is when I get very deep restorative sleep. Some of that sleep seems to get stored in the "bank" so to speak, because I can go without very much if I have to, after I've had that restoration period.
I'm not sure what the long term effects would be if you went into chronic, prolonged deprivation.
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