Catching up on sleep at the weekend could cut heart disease risk

It’s long been known that there’s a link between getting too little sleep and risk of heart disease and stroke. But the demands of modern life can often lead to sleep disruption and deprivation, leading to people trying to ‘catch-up’ on sleep on days off.

Now, researchers suggest that weekend lie-ins could help to make up for the impact of a lack of sleep during the week. They found that those who got the most ‘catch-up’ sleep had a lower risk of developing heart disease than those who remained sleep deprived. 

 

Using data from nearly 91,000 people involved in the UK Biobank study, researchers split participants into four groups – from those who got the least compensatory (‘catch up’) sleep to those who got the most. Participants were considered sleep deprived if they reported less than seven hours sleep every night. 

 

Over the following 14 years, participants in the group that got the most compensatory sleep were 19 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those with the least. 

In the group who got less than seven hours sleep every day (i.e. they were sleep deprived every day), those who got the most compensatory sleep had a 20 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease than those who got the least. 

James Leiper, our Associate Medical Director, said: “Lots of us don’t get enough sleep due to work or family commitments, and while a weekend lie-in is no replacement for a regular good night's rest, this large study suggests that it might help reduce risk of heart disease.  

 

“We know that lack of sleep can affect our overall wellbeing, and this research is an important reminder of how important it is to try get at least seven hours sleep every night.    

 

“We look forward to future studies to better understand how sleep patterns can impact the heart and how we can adapt modern lifestyles to help improve our health.”