Making Up for Lost Sleep on the Weekend May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

If sleep is becoming a luxury on busy weekdays, catching up on the weekend may be a lifesaver. A new study finds people who sleep-in on their days off can lower their risk of heart disease.

Inadequate shut-eye has been linked to conditions such as coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and stroke.  

Researchers reviewed sleep and medical data from nearly 91,000 people in Great Britain. Nearly 22% of them reported they were sleep deprived, getting less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis. The rest reported occasional bad nights.

After years of monitoring, the results showed participants who got the most catch-up sleep on weekends were 19% less likely to develop heart disease.

The benefit of those extra ZZZs was especially strong among those with daily sleep deprivation — they experienced a 20% lower risk.

The analysis did not show any differences between men and women.

Source: ESC Congress 2024

Author Affiliations: National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing