The hectic pace of a typical work week driven by school or job obligations often leads to sleep problems. However, getting extra sleep on weekends can reduce the risk of developing heart disease by up to 20%, according to recent findings shared at ESC Congress 2024.
The research was presented at the annual European Society of Cardiology (ESC) conference.
“Adequate sleep is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. This association is even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience insufficient sleep on weekdays,” said study co-author Yanjun Song.
The Chinese researchers are from the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at Fuwai Hospital of the National Heart Disease Center in Beijing.
The study conducted by Song’s team examined the sleep habits of 90,900 people in the U.K. About 22% or 19,800 individuals were identified as sleep deficient because they slept less than seven hours per night on average. The findings showed no significant differences between genders.
Over a period of nearly 14 years, researchers tracked these participants’ hospital and death records for cardiovascular conditions, such as heart attack, atrial fibrillation and stroke.
The findings showed that those who made up for lost sleep were 19% less likely to have cardiovascular problems. For the sleep-deprived group, getting more sleep reduced the risk of heart disease by 20%.
‘Well conducted analysis’
Calling it a “well-conducted analysis,” Dr Nisha Parikh, director of the Women’s Heart Program for the Cardiovascular Institute at Northwell Health and the Katz Institute for Women’s Health in the US, spoke to the New York Post.
Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation are linked to health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, he said. Getting enough sleep on weekends can help reduce some of the negative effects caused by not getting enough sleep during the week, Dr. Parikh said.
