Sleeping an additional hour and 27 minutes on weekend days may help maintain healthy blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing hypertension, research from Korea University indicates.
The study, which followed 41,000 adults over seven years, examined the impact of weekend sleep duration on blood pressure and physical activity levels. The findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology's conference in Munich.
Researchers found that individuals who slept longer on Saturdays and Sundays were six percent less likely to develop high blood pressure. This benefit was more pronounced in physically inactive participants, who saw a 6.9 percent reduction in hypertension risk.
According to Dr. Nawton Lee, a researcher involved in the study, insufficient sleep can place additional stress on the body, causing the heart and blood vessels to work harder and subsequently elevate blood pressure. He suggested that weekend sleep can provide the body an opportunity to recover from this stress and advised people not to feel guilty about sleeping longer on these days.
However, the study also noted that sleeping more than four extra hours on weekend days could potentially increase the risk of high blood pressure. Dr. Lee explained that excessive 'catch-up' sleep might lead to increased sleep irregularity and circadian disruption, which could negate the positive effects.
Approximately one in three adults in Britain experience high blood pressure. The average adult reports sleeping between six and 6.4 hours per night, falling short of the NHS recommendation of seven to nine hours.
Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, commented that while weekend lie-ins can be a natural response to weekday sleep deprivation, the study does not suggest de-prioritizing physical activity. She added that individuals may not need to feel guilty about sleeping later on weekends.