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Researchers at Nanjing Medical University in China found that catching extra sleep on weekends isn’t just a luxury — it can cut your risk of heart attack and stroke.
How Scientists Made This Discovery
Many of us love to indulge in a little extra time in bed on Saturdays and Sundays. It serves as a way to compensate for the fatigue accumulated during the workweek. However, a new study reveals that this weekend snooze might be more than just a way to recharge; it could actually save lives.
To understand how additional sleep impacts health, the research team monitored 3,400 participants. They found that volunteers who experienced sleep deprivation during the week but managed to get an extra two hours of sleep on the weekend were 63 percent less likely to suffer from heart attacks or strokes. Conversely, participants who slept less than six hours a night during the workweek and didn’t make up for it on the weekends faced a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The study found that weekend sleep was linked to a lower likelihood of stroke, angina, and other heart-related problems, especially for people who don’t get enough sleep during the week.
“The study showed that sleep not only provides physiological rest but also profoundly impacts cardiovascular health,” the team concluded.
Other recent studies back the Chinese findings, the Daily Mail reports. Scientists say that seven to eight hours of quality sleep a night acts as a reliable safeguard against heart problems. It reduces the impact of stress hormones on the body and helps protect blood vessels from inflammation.
A recent global study found Britons add about 15 minutes of sleep on weekends, on average, while Finns add about 26 minutes.
Other researchers suggest that one to two hours of additional sleep on weekends could even help prevent obesity and depression.
