New research has revealed that compensating for lost sleep on weekends can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
Researchers from Fuwai Hospital in Beijing, led by Yanjun Song, analyzed sleep data from a large cohort of 90,900 UK residents.
The study found that nearly 22% of the participants were sleep-deprived, averaging less than seven hours of sleep per night. This group faced a higher risk of developing cardiovascular conditions
Participants were followed for almost 14 years, with their health records closely monitored for cardiac events such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke.
The research highlighted that participants who managed to catch up on sleep during weekends had a 19% lower likelihood of developing heart disease.
For those who regularly slept less than seven hours on weekdays, the study found that catching up on sleep over the weekend reduced their heart disease risk by 20%.
Researchers emphasized that while catch-up sleep is beneficial, it should not replace consistent, quality sleep every night.