It has been shown that getting extra sleep on weekends to compensate for insufficient sleep can reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

A study by the U.S. National Institute of Infectious Diseases has announced that catching up on sleep by sleeping excessively on weekends can reduce the risk of heart disease by 20%.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults sleep at least 7 hours a day, but it is estimated that one in three adults does not get enough sleep.

Sleep deprivation, which continues with less than 7 hours of sleep per day, not only negatively affects the immune system and daily functioning but can also lead to cardiovascular problems.

The scholars' previous stance was that sleeping in one go as a form of compensation could not be a sustainable solution to ongoing sleep deprivation.

 

Recently, the research team analyzed self-reported data from over 90,000 participants in the UK Biobank to evaluate the impact of compensatory sleep on sleep deprivation.

The research team defined sleep deprivation as sleeping less than 7 hours a day and divided the participants into four cohorts from the group with the most compensatory sleep time to the group with the least.

 

They reported that, based on an analysis of medical records and death reports over an average follow-up period of 14 years, participants in the cohort with the most restorative sleep had a 19% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to participants in the cohort with the least restorative sleep.

 

Experts expressed surprise, saying they never realized that sleeping intensively to compensate for usual sleep deprivation could be so helpful. They emphasized that even if sleep is previously insufficient, the human body can quickly regain energy and function, so prioritizing securing sleep time by adjusting weekend schedules should be the top priority.

Meanwhile, some have pointed out that compensatory sleep or sleeping all at once on weekends may be helpful in the short term, but it is not the best alternative for mental and physical health.

 

Experts warned that the accumulation of stress hormones due to ongoing sleep deprivation, metabolic imbalance, and increased inflammation are not easily resolved by just sleeping a few extra hours on weekends. They cautioned that over time, these issues could lead to serious conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

 

Maintaining regular sleep habits and improving sleep quality as much as sleep duration is essential from a functional health perspective. Sleep forms the foundation for all health-related behaviors such as nutrition management, exercise, and stress management, so the best strategy to avoid sleep deprivation is to prioritize consistent, high-quality sleep. Sleep helps the process of vascular recovery and reconstruction and influences the regulation of blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation.

Therefore, insufficient sleep can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, impair the production of hormones that help regulate blood sugar, and lead to insulin resistance and other cardiovascular diseases.

 

Experts have said that restorative sleep can lower the levels of stress hormones (cortisol) that increase during sleep deprivation and normalize blood pressure and heart rate elevated due to chronic sleep deprivation.

 

However, at the same time, the most essential recovery processes such as tissue repair, memory consolidation, and hormone regulation occur during sleep, so ultimately, establishing consistent sleep habits to ensure quality sleep is emphasized as important.

 

 

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That's good news.

If you think you are usually lacking sleep

On weekends, either take a nap or sleep in late.

They say that sleeping can reduce the risk of heart disease..

 

In my case, Saturday and Sunday are definitely off.

It's a late sleep-in. Haha, it's nice.