The idea of staying in bed late is what helps many of us get through the stress of a work week.
People can now enjoy the pleasure of the weekend guilt-free after scientists revealed that catching up on sleep can also significantly reduce the chances of suffering a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke.
People who get a bit of “compensatory” sleep at the weekend can see their risk of heart disease cut by a fifth, a study shows.
It is hoped that this will finally put an end to the debate over whether getting more sleep is good or bad for your health.
Researchers used data from more than 90,000 Britons to examine the link between sleeping more on weekends and heart disease.
People who sleep “compensatorily” at weekends can see their risk of heart disease reduced by a fifth, according to a study that is expected to “finally” put an end to the debate over whether sleeping more is good or bad for health.
Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, intense and unstable emotions, impaired learning ability, and a reduced immune response, leaving you vulnerable to disease.
Sleep data was recorded using accelerometers for an average of about 14 years and then compared to the people’s health records.
Some 19,816 participants (22 percent) were defined as sleep deprived, managing less than seven hours of sleep per night.
While others occasionally experienced inadequate sleep, their average nightly sleep hours were considered adequate.
Hospital records and cause of death registry information were used to diagnose cardiac diseases, including ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke.
Those who got the most compensatory sleep (more than 75 minutes) were 19 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who got the least sleep.
In the subgroup of patients with daily sleep deprivation, those with more compensatory sleep had a 20 percent lower risk of developing heart disease compared with those with less sleep.
The analysis, presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in London, showed no differences between men and women.
Co-author Yanjun Song, from the state key laboratory of infectious diseases in Beijing, China, said: ‘Sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
‘The association becomes even more pronounced among people who regularly experience sleep deprivation during the week.’
Co-author Zechen Liu, also from the State Key Laboratory of Beijing, China, said: “Our results show that for the significant proportion of the population in modern society who suffer from sleep deprivation, those who get more recovery sleep on weekends have significantly lower rates of heart disease than those who get less.”
While it’s not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart, research suggests that disturbed sleep is associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP. This is a sign of inflammation, the process linked to heart and circulatory disease.
Experts believe that getting more sleep can help the heart recover and repair itself and is also good for controlling weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Professor James Leiper, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Many of us don’t get enough sleep because of work or family commitments, and although sleeping in at the weekend is no substitute for a regular good night’s rest, this large study suggests it could help reduce the risk of heart disease.
We know that lack of sleep can affect our overall well-being, and this research is an important reminder of how important it is to try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
“We hope that future studies will allow us to better understand how sleep patterns can affect the heart and how we can adapt modern lifestyles to help improve our health.”