Catching up on sleep on the weekend is linked to better heart health and a lower risk of hypertension, according to new research.
Scientists at Korea University studied nearly 41,000 participants over a seven-year period and presented the findings at the European Society of Cardiology’s conference in Munich this weekend.
“In the overall population, weekend catch-up sleep was associated with reduced odds of hypertension,” said the research.
It added that “modest weekend catch-up sleep” (approximately two hours) is associated with a reduced risk of high blood pressure.
“While physical activity remains central to prevention, modest weekend sleep recovery may offer supplementary benefits for those with insufficient activity,” read the research.
“Not getting enough sleep puts extra stress on the body,” said one of the authors, Dr Nawton Lee from the university, according to comments in The Times.
“It keeps the heart and blood vessels working harder and can increase blood pressure. Getting some extra sleep on the weekend may give the body a chance to recover and reduce some of that stress.”
The study acknowledged that insufficient sleep and physical inactivity remain the prevalent risk factors for heart health and explained that weekend catch-up sleep could compensate for weekday sleep debt.
Physically inactive participants saw an even greater benefit seeing their risk of hypertension reducing by 6.9 per cent.
The study found that one hour and 27 minutes of extra sleep appeared to demonstrate the most benefit to blood pressure, and was linked to a 9 per cent decrease in the likelihood of high blood pressure.
However, those who slept more than four hours increased their risk of high blood pressure.
Earlier this year, research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) could be recommended for individuals with high blood pressure seeking to achieve healthier levels.
The report saw experts from Brazil pool data from 31 studies on high blood pressure and exercise and found both HIIT and combined training effectively reduce blood pressure.
It also underscored the benefits of aerobic exercise – including jogging, cycling, or swimming – in managing hypertension.
However, evidence for yoga, pilates and recreational sports “remains limited and imprecise” as the researchers called for more work to assess their effects on blood pressure.
