Key Takeaways

The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, consisted of self-reported data from over 90,000 people in the U.K. Biobank. Researchers found that people who got the most “compensatory sleep”—making up for lost sleep during the week—fared better in terms of heart health.

However, sleep experts recommend keeping a consistent sleep schedule instead of playing catch-up on the weekends.

How to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Why Catching Up on Sleep Could Be Healthy

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in three adults in the United States reported not getting enough sleep every day.

In the study,sleep deprivationis defined as getting less than seven hours of sleep per night. Although compensatory sleep isn’t ideal, sleep deprivation could be worse.

“Insufficient sleep can increase the risk of developing hypertension, obesity, arrhythmias, and coronary artery disease. All of these can cause long-term harm to [your] cardiovascular health if untreated,” saidJim Liu, MD, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

In 2022, the American Heart Association added sleep as one of the core components of heart health, regarding sleep as important to your heart as diet, exercise, and nicotine avoidance.

Liu noted that the study was observational and not yet published, so it’s hard to draw a strong conclusion on compensatory sleep and heart health. “Still, the general message is that sleep is important for cardiovascular health,” he said.

How Much Sleep Do You Need for a Healthy Heart?

How to Optimize Your Sleep Routine for Better Heart Health

Though sleeping in on the weekends might be enticing, it could lead to a phenomenon called “social jet lag.” Inconsistent sleep habits can disrupt yourcircadian rhythm, making you feel like you’ve switched time zones when it’s time to get out of bed on Monday morning.

Liu recommends being consistent with your sleep rather than trying to catch up on the weekends because there may be times when you can’t squeeze the extra time in.

In addition to sleep duration and consistency, sleep quality is also important, Liu said. There are some strategies you can follow to maintain goodsleep hygiene:

What This Means For YouWhile the study suggests that weekend catch-up sleep may help, aiming for consistent, adequate sleep every night is healthier. A consistent sleep schedule promotes better heart health and reduces the risk of serious conditions like hypertension and coronary artery disease. Prioritize good sleep hygiene, including limiting screen time and sticking to a regular sleep schedule.

What This Means For You

While the study suggests that weekend catch-up sleep may help, aiming for consistent, adequate sleep every night is healthier. A consistent sleep schedule promotes better heart health and reduces the risk of serious conditions like hypertension and coronary artery disease. Prioritize good sleep hygiene, including limiting screen time and sticking to a regular sleep schedule.

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep and your heart health.

Jaspan VN, Greenberg GS, Parihar S, et al.The role of sleep in cardiovascular disease.Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2024;26(7):249-262. doi:10.1007/s11883-024-01207-5

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