A new study suggests that sleeping slightly longer on weekends may be associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure, particularly among people who use the weekend to make up for some of the sleep they lost during the workweek.
The findings showed that people who got additional sleep on weekends had an average 6% lower risk of developing high blood pressure. The reduction increased to approximately 9% among those who slept an extra one hour and 27 minutes compared with their usual weekday sleep duration.
Study Included More Than 41,000 People
Dr. Na-Yeon Lee of Korea University in Seoul analysed health data from more than 41,000 people, who were followed for seven years to examine the relationship between sleep patterns and the risk of developing high blood pressure.
The results suggest that getting a moderate amount of catch-up sleep on weekends may help the body recover from some of the effects of insufficient sleep during the week.
Persistent and uncontrolled high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart and cardiovascular disease and is also associated with an increased risk of serious complications, including heart attacks, strokes and dementia.
Is Sleeping Longer on Weekends Beneficial?
Health experts generally recommend that most adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. However, work, busy lifestyles and sleep difficulties can make it challenging to consistently reach that amount.
Blood pressure typically decreases during sleep, giving the heart and blood vessels an opportunity to rest and recover. As a result, ongoing sleep deprivation may reduce this recovery period and negatively affect cardiovascular health over time.
According to the researcher, people should not feel guilty about sleeping a little longer on weekends. A moderate amount of catch-up sleep may give the body an opportunity to recover from some of the sleep lost during the week.
A Consistent Sleep Schedule Still Matters
The findings do not mean that sleeping for long periods on weekends can completely make up for insufficient sleep throughout the week.
Sleep experts continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining consistent sleep and wake times whenever possible, while allowing for a moderate amount of additional sleep when needed.
Overall, extra sleep on weekends may offer some benefits, but the best approach for heart and sleep health remains getting enough high-quality sleep on a regular basis throughout the week.
