Here's what study says about sleeping longer during the weekend

Researchers from Nanjing Medical University in China studied data from a health survey of over 3,400 US adults aged 20 and older in 2017-2018. The survey asked about participants' sleep duration on weekdays and weekends, and if they had heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.

People who slept at least one hour more on weekends than weekdays had lower rates of cardiovascular disease, especially stroke, coronary heart disease, and angina, compared to those who didn't catch up on sleep.

The biggest risk reduction was seen in those who slept less than six hours on weekdays and added at least two extra hours on weekends.

Dr. Marc Siegel from NYU Langone Medical Center explained that sleeping less than six hours per night increases stress hormone release, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The study suggested that catching up on sleep during the weekend, especially with more than two extra hours, could bring the heart disease risk back to baseline.

Luo, an expert, highlighted that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule when not sleep-deprived supports better sleep quality, energy, and heart health.

While experts generally advise against sleeping in on weekends for those with a regular sleep pattern, catching up on sleep during the weekend can be beneficial for health, particularly if lacking sleep consistently poses risks of chronic fatigue, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.