A new study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) suggests that catching up on missed sleep on weekends could reduce the risk of heart disease by up to a fifth. This is contrary to previous research that emphasized the importance of a regular sleep schedule and discouraged weekend lie-ins. The study, which used data from 90,903 subjects involved in the UK Biobank project, found that those who slept the most during weekend lie-ins were 19 percent less likely to develop heart disease in the following years. This association was even more pronounced in individuals who regularly experienced inadequate sleep on weekdays.
Of the Biobank subjects, 21.8 percent self-reported as sleep-deprived, failing to sleep for seven hours per night regularly. The researchers categorized the subjects into four groups based on the amount of sleep they got during weekend lie-ins. After an average follow-up period of 14 years, which included looking at hospital and death records related to heart diseases, the scientists found that long lie-ins on weekends were associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Among those who were sleep-deprived during the week, making up for it with weekend lie-ins was found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 20 percent compared to those who slept the least during weekends.
The research aimed to address a lack of evidence about whether compensatory sleep could benefit heart health, as previous studies have been inconsistent in their findings. While some studies have found that irregular sleep patterns could disrupt circadian rhythms and increase heart disease risk, others found that weekend lie-ins did not compensate for midweek sleep deprivation. The ESC study authors highlighted limitations in their research, including the fact that the majority of subjects did not report getting less than seven hours of sleep during the week. Additionally, the study relied on self-reported sleep habits, which may have introduced inaccuracies.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night and maintain a regular sleep routine. The findings of this study suggest that compensatory sleep on weekends could have a protective effect against heart disease, especially for those who experience inadequate sleep during the week. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to explore the mechanisms behind the relationship between sleep patterns and heart health.
