Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can be challenging, especially when a hectic week disrupts your routine despite your best efforts.
Many people turn to catching up on sleep over the weekend as a remedy. New research suggests that this practice might actually benefit heart health, potentially reducing the risk of developing heart disease by 19%. This finding comes from a research abstract set to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress on Sunday, September 1. Although the abstract has not yet been published in a journal, it highlights promising data.
“The benefits are particularly significant for those who regularly experience sleep deprivation during the weekdays,” explained Yanjun Song, a coauthor of the research from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease at the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease at Fuwai Hospital in Beijing.
The study analyzed data from 90,903 participants in the UK Biobank, which tracks the health outcomes of over 500,000 individuals, primarily aged 40 to 69, in the United Kingdom.
Sleep data was collected using activity-monitoring devices and categorized into four groups based on the extent of weekend sleep compensation. Group 1 averaged 0.26 to 16.05 fewer hours of sleep on weekends compared to weekdays, while Group 4 averaged 1.28 to 16 more hours of weekend sleep.
After an average follow-up of nearly 14 years, participants in Group 4, who made the most effort to catch up on sleep over the weekend, had a 19% lower risk of developing cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke, compared to those in Group 1, who compensated the least.
