For many people who wake up early to attend school or work during the week, lack of sleep is a common complaint.
A recent Gallup poll reveals that a significant number of adults struggle with insufficient sleep. According to the survey, 57% of adults believe they would “feel better if they got more sleep,” while only 42% report getting “as much sleep as they need.”
Interestingly, new research suggests that making up for lost sleep on weekends may benefit heart health. At the upcoming European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2024 in London, scheduled from August 30 to September 2, Chinese researchers will present findings from a U.K. Biobank study. This study analyzed sleep patterns from 90,903 participants over a median of 14 years.
The study found that 21.8% of participants, or 19,816 individuals, were sleep-deprived, getting less than seven hours of sleep per night. The remaining participants experienced occasional sleep deficits.
Those who used weekends to catch up on sleep showed a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke, compared to those who did not catch up on sleep. This conclusion was drawn from an analysis of hospitalization records and death registries.
Yanjun Song, a study co-author from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease at Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, confirmed that “sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease.” Song also noted that the link is stronger for those who regularly experience sleep deprivation during the week.
Co-author Zechen Liu echoed this, stating, “Our results indicate that for many people suffering from sleep deprivation, those who catch up on sleep over the weekend have a significantly lower rate of heart disease compared to those who catch up less.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst for Fox News and a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, described the findings as “revealing.” Although Siegel was not involved in the study, he highlighted that it shows a notable decrease in heart disease risk among those who sleep more on weekends. He explained that making up for sleep debt on weekends can be restorative, helping to reduce stress hormones and benefiting heart health.
However, Dr. Wendy Troxel, a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND Corporation, cautioned that the study’s preliminary nature means its findings should be viewed with caution. Presented at a conference rather than a peer-reviewed journal, the study provides limited details on methodology. Troxel emphasized that while the results align with existing research on the consequences of chronic insufficient sleep, excessive weekend sleep catch-up can also have negative health effects.
Troxel advises maintaining a consistent sleep schedule throughout the week. “The best approach is to prioritize adequate sleep duration on both weekdays and weekends,” she said. “If you need to sleep in, try to keep your wake-up time within an hour or two of your regular wake-up time.”
The study authors acknowledged that most participants’ sleep habits did not meet the criteria for sleep deprivation, which could be a limitation of the research.
