Catching up on sleep over weekends may reduce heart disease risk – new study finds

People who have the most 'catch-up' sleep on weekends have a significantly lower risk of developing heart disease than those with the least

Getting a good night's sleep is crucial for maintaining both physical and mental health, alongside a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of serious conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

So, if you’re sleep deprived during weekdays, try to make up for it by getting extra sleep on weekends.

A new study has revealed catching up with compensatory sleep on weekends can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

The study conducted by the National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease in Beijing, China, found that individuals who catch up on sleep over the weekend may lower their risk of heart disease by one-fifth.

Study co-author Yanjun Song from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease at Fuwai Hospital emphasised that the benefit of compensatory sleep was even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays.

The researchers used data from 90,903 subjects involved in the UK Biobank project to evaluate the relationship between compensated weekend sleep and heart disease.

More than 21 per cent of the participants were identified as sleep-deprived – defined as getting less than seven hours of sleep per night.

After following up with the participants for almost 14 years, it was found that those who managed to get the most compensatory sleep (1.28 to 16.06 hours) had a 19 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those with the least ( -16.05 hours to -0.26 hours).

Among participants who experienced regular sleep deprivation during the week, those with the most compensatory sleep on weekends had a 20 per cent reduction in heart disease risk than those with the least.

Co-author Zechen Liu, also from Fuwai Hospital, noted that the findings underscore the importance of catching up on sleep for those who regularly suffer from sleep deprivation

"Our results show that for the significant proportion of the population in modern society that suffers from sleep deprivation, those who have the most 'catch-up' sleep at weekends have significantly lower rates of heart disease than those with the least,” he said.

The study findings were presented at ESC Congress 2024.