Can Sleeping More on the Weekends Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease?

Welcome back to another adventure along The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Medicine! Today, we will look at a truly “eye-awakening” discovery relating to how sleeping more can reduce your risk of a heart disease!

Sleep deprivation has long been associated with a host of health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. Heart disease, in particular, is a significant global health concern, affecting millions worldwide. The connection between poor sleep and cardiovascular disease is well-established, but what about compensating for lost sleep?

According to recent research study, sleeping in on weekends could reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 20%​. This finding is based on a large study involving over 90,000 participants, which examined how compensating for lost sleep impacts heart health.

The study pulled data from a major research project tracking health outcomes across a diverse group of participants. Participants were asked to wear sleep trackers to monitor their sleep patterns, while researchers followed their heart health over an extended period, with a median follow-up of almost 14 years​.

Of the participants, about 22% were classified as sleep-deprived, sleeping fewer than seven hours a night during the workweek. However, many of these individuals compensated for their lack of sleep by “catching up” on rest during the weekends. When researchers compared health outcomes, they found that individuals who got the most compensatory sleep on weekends had a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those who did not​.

Interestingly, this benefit was particularly noticeable in individuals who were consistently sleep-deprived during the week. For them, catching up on sleep seemed to significantly counterbalance the negative effects of weekday sleep loss​.

One of the key reasons catching up on sleep may benefit heart health lies in the body’s need for recovery. When we sleep, our bodies go through critical processes that repair tissues, regulate hormones, and reduce inflammation—factors that are essential for maintaining heart health. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts these processes, leading to increased stress on the cardiovascular system.

Over time, insufficient sleep can lead to elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and heightened inflammation, all of which increase the risk of heart disease. By catching up on sleep, even for just a couple of extra hours over the weekend, the body has an opportunity to reset and recover​.

So, what does this mean for you? If you find yourself sleep-deprived during the week, try to prioritize catching up on rest over the weekend. However, the best approach to maintaining heart health is to establish good sleep habits throughout the week:

1. Stick to a regular sleep schedule – Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
2. Create a relaxing bedtime routine – Engage in activities that help you wind down, like reading or taking a warm bath.
3. Limit screen time before bed – The blue light from phones and computers can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.
4. Watch your diet – Avoid caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime, as they can disrupt your sleep.
5. Create a sleep-friendly environment – Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool to promote better rest.

In an ideal world, we would all get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night. But for many of us, life gets in the way. The good news is that catching up on sleep over the weekend may help reduce your risk of heart disease, especially if you’re regularly sleep-deprived. While it’s not a perfect solution, giving your body the rest it needs, even in small doses, can have lasting benefits for your heart health.