A new analysis has found that weekend lie-ins may be good for you, with an ideal benchmark of one to two extra hours in bed to protect against high blood pressure, according to The Guardian.
For years, experts have stressed the risks of lie-ins, warning that catching up on missed sleep at the weekend can disrupt the body’s internal clock and trigger adverse health effects. But the new analysis has produced a heartening caveat to that advice.
Most experts still agree that setting a routine bedtime and wake-up time is key to maintaining good health. But the new study shows a modest amount of catch-up sleep – one to two hours extra – after a long week is associated with a lower prevalence of high blood pressure.
Globally, more than 1.3 billion people have hypertension. They face a much higher risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and early death.
While other ways to avoid high blood pressure remain crucial, such as staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating well, the study suggests people should no longer feel guilty about getting up late at the weekend, experts said.
The research was presented in Munich at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology, the world’s largest heart conference.
It looked at 40,000 adults in South Korea over a period of seven years. Weekend catch-up sleep was defined as the difference between weekend and weekday sleep duration.
Overall, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a 6% reduction in the odds of hypertension.
A slightly greater benefit was seen in people who were considered to be physically inactive. They were 6.9% less likely to have hypertension if they had a weekend lie-in.
Analysis identified the 1hr 27min benchmark as the ideal amount of catch-up sleep. Someone getting this amount of extra sleep would be 9% less likely to have high blood pressure.
The study author, Dr. Nawon Lee of Korea University in Seoul, said: “Not getting enough sleep puts extra stress on the body. It keeps the heart and blood vessels working harder and can increase blood pressure.”
She noted that getting some extra sleep on the weekend may give the body a chance to recover and reduce some of that stress.
“People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend. If they have not been able to get enough sleep during the week, some extra sleep on the weekend may simply be the body’s way of recovering from that sleep loss,” Lee added.
Analysis identified the 1hr 27min benchmark as the ideal amount of catch-up sleep, Lee said. Someone getting this amount of extra sleep would be 9% less likely to have high blood pressure.
However, while the new research showed that getting some catch-up sleep could boost heart health, getting too much could be harmful, Lee cautioned. For instance, people sneaking in more than four hours extra sleep at the weekend were at greater risk of hypertension.
“I think moderate weekend catch-up sleep may have a protective effect because, in people who are sleep-deprived during the week, the benefit of compensating for insufficient sleep may outweigh the potential harm from having an irregular sleep schedule,” said Lee.
