New research presented at the ESC Congress 2024 suggests that catching up on sleep during the weekend could reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 20%.
Many people experience sleep disruptions during the workweek due to their busy schedules, often resulting in sleep deprivation.
However, this study shows that getting extra sleep on the weekends might help protect the heart.
The research team, led by Mr. Yanjun Song and Mr. Zechen Liu from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease at Fuwai Hospital, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease in Beijing, China, examined data from 90,903 participants in the UK Biobank project.
The study aimed to explore whether compensatory sleep on the weekends could reduce the risk of heart disease.
To gather data, participants wore accelerometers, which are devices that track movement, including sleep patterns.
The researchers then divided the participants into four groups (called quartiles) based on how much extra sleep they got on the weekends.
The first group (Q1) had the least amount of compensatory sleep, with some people even sleeping less on weekends than during the week.
The fourth group (Q4) had the most compensatory sleep, with some participants getting up to 16 extra hours of sleep over the weekend.
Participants also reported their average sleep duration during the workweek. Those who slept less than 7 hours per night were considered sleep deprived. About 21.8% of the participants fell into this category, while the rest experienced occasional inadequate sleep but not enough to be classified as sleep deprived.
The researchers followed up with the participants for a median period of almost 14 years, tracking their heart health through hospital records and death registries. They looked for various types of heart disease, including ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke.
The results were clear: those in the group with the most compensatory sleep (Q4) were 19% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those with the least compensatory sleep (Q1). This protective effect was even more pronounced among those who were sleep deprived during the week. For them, getting extra sleep on the weekends reduced their risk of heart disease by 20% compared to those who didn’t catch up on sleep.
Interestingly, the study found no significant difference in these benefits between men and women.
Mr. Liu emphasized the importance of the findings, stating, “In today’s fast-paced world, many people don’t get enough sleep during the week. Our research shows that those who manage to catch up on sleep over the weekend have a significantly lower risk of heart disease than those who don’t.”
While the study highlights the potential benefits of compensatory sleep, the authors also noted some limitations. For example, sleep deprivation was self-reported, which may not always be accurate. Additionally, the study focused on participants who were part of a larger cohort, meaning that more research is needed to confirm these findings.
In summary, if you find yourself missing out on sleep during the week, catching up on the weekends might not just make you feel better—it could also be good for your heart.
Source: KSR.
