Sleeping longer over the weekend could help prevent heart attacks, says study

By Melissa Rudy Fox News

Published December 20, 2023 11:05am EST

Didn’t get enough sleep during the week? Take heart — catching up on shuteye over the weekend could provide the bonus of improved cardiovascular health, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep Health.

Researchers from Nanjing Medical University in China analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which compiled information from 3,400 U.S. adults ages 20 years and older between 2017 and 2018.

The survey gathered information on how long the participants slept on weekdays and weekends, as well as whether they had heart disease, high blood pressure and/or diabetes.

The people who slept for at least one hour longer on weekends than weekdays were shown to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease — in particular, stroke, coronary heart disease and angina (chest pain due to reduced blood flow) compared to those who didn’t get catch-up sleep.

The reduced risk was most significant among those who got less than six hours of sleep on weekdays and slept for at least two extra hours on weekends.

Catching up on sleep over the weekend could provide the bonus of improved cardiovascular health.

"Sleeping less than six hours per night increases our risk of stress hormone release and increased heart attack and stroke," said Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor.

Siegel, who was not involved in the study, offered comment on the findings.

"The study found that you can make up for a sleep debt during the week and reset with more than two extra hours on the weekend, bringing your risk of heart disease back to baseline," he told Fox News Digital.

"Though this is observational and not proof, I believe this finding is real, because more sleep brings your metabolism down to a lower level where the risks are lower," he added.

People who slept for one hour longer on weekends than on weekdays were shown to have lower rates of cardiovascular.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study author for additional comments.

Dr. Biquan Luo, a San Francisco sleep expert and CEO of LumosTech, which produces a smart sleep mask to promote healthy circadian rhythms, shared her reaction to the study findings. She was not involved in the research.

"Under normal circumstances, when you are not sleep-deprived, a consistent sleep schedule helps maintain the body’s circadian rhythms, supporting higher-quality sleep, better energy and cardiometabolic health," Luo told Fox News Digital.

"That's why sleep experts recommend not sleeping in during the weekend."

It was significant among those who got less than six hours on weekdays and slept for at least two extra hours on weekends.

However, consistently lacking adequate sleep can cause chronic fatigue and increased risks for obesity and cardiovascular diseases, the expert pointed out.

"In this case, catching up on sleep on the weekend is more beneficial for your health," she said.

"It is important to note that making up sleep debt does not fully reverse the effects of chronic sleep deprivation," Luo added.

The Sleep Research Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night for adults.

Insufficient sleep has previously been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, high blood pressure and other diseases and conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sleeping longer over the weekend could help prevent heart attacks, says study

研究称：周末睡得更久可以帮助预防心脏病发作

Didn’t get enough sleep during the week? Take heart — catching up on shuteye over the weekend could provide the bonus of improved cardiovascular health, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep Health.

这星期睡眠不足？振作起来——根据发表在《睡眠健康》杂志上的一项新研究，周末睡懒觉可以改善心血管健康。

Researchers from Nanjing Medical University in China analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which compiled information from 3,400 U.S. adults ages 20 years and older between 2017 and 2018.

中国南京医科大学的研究人员分析了来自《国家健康与营养调查》的数据，该调查收集了2017年至2018年间3400名20岁及以上美国成年人的相关信息。

The survey gathered information on how long the participants slept on weekdays and weekends, as well as whether they had heart disease, high blood pressure and/or diabetes.

这项调查收集了参与者在工作日和周末的睡眠时间，同时还收集了他们是否有心脏疾病、高血压或者糖尿病。

The people who slept for at least one hour longer on weekends than weekdays were shown to have lower rates of cardiovascular disease — in particular, stroke, coronary heart disease and angina (chest pain due to reduced blood flow) compared to those who didn’t get catch-up sleep.

相比那些周末不补觉的人，周末比工作日多睡至少一个小时的人患心血管疾病、中风、冠心病和心绞痛（由于血流量减少而引起的胸痛）的概率更低，尤其是心血管疾病。

The reduced risk was most significant among those who got less than six hours of sleep on weekdays and slept for at least two extra hours on weekends.

风险降低的程度对于那些工作日睡不到6小时然后周末至少多睡两小时的人是最明显的。

"Sleeping less than six hours per night increases our risk of stress hormone release and increased heart attack and stroke," said Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor.

纽约大学Langone医学中心医学临床教授、Fox新闻医学撰稿人Marc Siegel博士说：“每晚睡眠不足6小时会增加我们压力激素释放的风险，同时增加心脏病发作和中风的风险”。

Siegel, who was not involved in the study, offered comment on the findings.

Siegel没有参与这项研究，他给出了对这一研究结果的看法。

"The study found that you can make up for a sleep debt during the week and reset with more than two extra hours on the weekend, bringing your risk of heart disease back to baseline," he told Fox News Digital.

“这项研究发现，你平常缺少睡眠，然后靠周末额外多睡超过两个小时来补平，这可以让你的心脏疾病风险回到正常水平”，他告诉Fox新闻媒体。

"Though this is observational and not proof, I believe this finding is real, because more sleep brings your metabolism down to a lower level where the risks are lower," he added.

“尽管这是观察得出的，不是证明，但我相信它是真的，因为更多的睡眠可以降低你的新陈代谢水平，这时风险是比较低的”，他说道。

Fox News Digital reached out to the study author for additional comments.

Fox新闻媒体联系了研究的作者，寻求更多的看法。

Dr. Biquan Luo, a San Francisco sleep expert and CEO of LumosTech, which produces a smart sleep mask to promote healthy circadian rhythms, shared her reaction to the study findings. She was not involved in the research.

旧金山睡眠专家、LumosTech（该公司生产一种智能睡眠面罩，以促进健康的昼夜平衡）首席执行官Biquan Luo博士分享了她对这一研究结果的反应，她也没有参与这项研究。

"Under normal circumstances, when you are not sleep-deprived, a consistent sleep schedule helps maintain the body’s circadian rhythms, supporting higher-quality sleep, better energy and cardiometabolic health," Luo told Fox News Digital.

“在正常情况下，当你没有睡眠不足时，有规律的睡眠时间习惯有助于维持身体的昼夜平衡，拥有更高质量的睡眠、更好的精神和心脏代谢水平”，Luo告诉Fox新闻媒体。

"That's why sleep experts recommend not sleeping in during the weekend."

“这就是为什么睡眠专家建议周末不要睡懒觉的原因”。

However, consistently lacking adequate sleep can cause chronic fatigue and increased risks for obesity and cardiovascular diseases, the expert pointed out.

但是，这位专家指出，持续的缺少睡眠会导致慢性疲劳，增加肥胖和心血管疾病的风险。

"In this case, catching up on sleep on the weekend is more beneficial for your health," she said.

“这种情况下，周末补觉更有益于健康”，她说道。

"It is important to note that making up sleep debt does not fully reverse the effects of chronic sleep deprivation," Luo added.

“有一点比较重要的是：补觉并不能完全消除长期睡眠不足带来的影响”，Luo说道。

The Sleep Research Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night for adults.

睡眠研究协会和美国睡眠医学学会建议成年人每晚至少睡7小时。

Insufficient sleep has previously been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, high blood pressure and other diseases and conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

根据疾病控制预防中心，此前发现睡眠不足和高风险的心脏疾病、2型糖尿病、肥胖、抑郁、高血压以及其他疾病相关。