Key Takeaways
Sleeping in on the weekend may be good for your heart
People who make up for lack of sleep have lower risk of heart disease
Sleep-deprived people benefit most
THURSDAY, Aug. 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Want to sleep in on the weekend?
New research suggests it may actually have some very positive effects on your heart.
Getting “complementary” sleep on the weekend could reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 20 percent, according to research to be presented Thursday at the European Society of Cardiology's annual meeting in London.
“Sufficient compensatory sleep is associated with a lower risk of heart disease,” said researcher Yanjun Song, a cardiologist at Fuwai Hospital in Beijing. “The association is even more pronounced among people who regularly experience sleep deprivation during the weekdays.”
For the study, researchers analysed data from nearly 91,000 participants in the long-term UK Biobank research project, who wore sleep monitors to track their heart health as part of the project.
About 22% of participants were sleep deprived, getting fewer than seven hours a night.
Sleep tracking revealed which participants slept later on weekends to make up for lost sleep during the week.
After an average follow-up of 14 years, the study found that participants who got the most sleep on weekends were 19% less likely to develop heart disease than those who slept the least.
This is especially true for people who don't get enough sleep every day, as those who get the most sleep to make up for it have a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease, the researchers say.
These findings were presented at a medical conference and should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Source: European Society of Cardiology, news release, August 29, 2024
What this means for you
People who get extra sleep on weekends may benefit their heart health.
