Many people struggle to get enough sleep during the workweek. Busy schedules, early school or work start times, late-night screen use, and stress can all reduce the number of hours people sleep each night.
Over time, this sleep loss can build up, leaving people feeling tired, unfocused, and irritable. Lack of sleep has also been linked to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Because of this, experts often recommend getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night for adults.
However, many people try to make up for lost sleep by sleeping longer on weekends. This habit, often called “catch-up sleep,” has been debated for years. Some experts believed it might help restore the body, while others worried it could disrupt natural sleep rhythms.
New research now suggests that catching up on sleep during days off may actually benefit heart health, especially for people who do not get enough sleep during the week.
The study analyzed data from more than 90,000 adults who took part in a large health project in the United Kingdom. Researchers measured sleep patterns using wearable devices that tracked movement and rest.
Participants were grouped according to how much extra sleep they got on weekends compared to weekdays. Some people slept even less on weekends, while others slept significantly more to compensate for lost rest.
About one in five participants reported sleeping fewer than seven hours per night during the week, which is considered sleep deprivation.
The researchers followed the participants for nearly 14 years, tracking hospital records and causes of death to identify cases of heart disease. These included conditions such as blocked arteries, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, and stroke.
The findings showed that people who caught up on the most sleep during weekends had a noticeably lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those who did not.
Overall, those with the highest amount of catch-up sleep had about a 19 percent lower risk. Among people who were regularly sleep deprived, the benefit was even stronger, with a roughly 20 percent lower risk of heart disease. The results were similar for both men and women.
Scientists believe that extra sleep may help the body recover from the stress caused by sleep loss. Sleep plays a critical role in repairing tissues, balancing hormones, and supporting the immune system.
It also allows the heart and blood vessels to rest. When people do not get enough sleep, stress hormones rise, blood pressure increases, and inflammation may develop, all of which can strain the heart. Catching up on sleep may help reverse some of these harmful effects.
Despite the encouraging findings, researchers caution that regular, consistent sleep is still the best option for long-term health. Sleeping too little during the week and trying to compensate on weekends may not fully restore the body.
However, for people who cannot avoid weekday sleep loss due to work or family responsibilities, weekend recovery sleep may provide some protection.
In reviewing the study, the large number of participants and long follow-up period strengthen confidence in the results. The use of wearable devices also provided more accurate sleep measurements than relying only on self-reported data.
However, the research cannot prove that catch-up sleep directly prevents heart disease, as other lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and stress may also play a role. Future studies will be needed to better understand how sleep patterns affect heart health over time.
Overall, the findings suggest that sleep is a powerful factor in maintaining a healthy heart. While building a consistent sleep routine should remain a priority, allowing extra rest on weekends may help reduce some of the risks associated with chronic sleep deprivation.
For millions of people living busy lives, this research offers reassuring news that those extra hours of weekend sleep may be more than just a luxury—they could be an important step toward protecting long-term health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how vitamin D influences cholesterol levels, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies about best supplements for heart disease prevention, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
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