Hit the snooze button! Weekend lie-ins really could save your life as scientists say extra sleep may cut the risk of heart disease by a fifth

The thought of a lie-in is what gets many of us through the stresses of a working week.

Now people can enjoy the weekend pleasure guilt-free after scientists revealed catching up on shut eye can also significantly lower the chances of a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke.

People who manage ‘compensatory’ sleep on a weekend can see their risk of heart disease fall by a fifth, a study shows.

It is hoped it will finally ‘put to bed’ the argument over whether additional sleep is good or bad for you.

Researchers used data involving more than 90,000 Britons to examine the relationship between extra weekend sleep and heart disease.

Sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, heightened and unstable emotions, impaired ability to learn and a reduced immune response, leaving you vulnerable to disease

Sleep data was recorded using accelerometers for an average of about 14 years and then compared to people’s health records.

Some 19,816 participants – 22 per cent- were defined as sleep deprived, managing less than seven hours sleep per night.

While others experienced occasional inadequate sleep, their nightly average hours of sleep were considered adequate.

Hospital records and cause of death registry information were used to diagnose cardiac diseases including ischaemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke.

Those who managed the most compensatory sleep – more than 75 minutes – were 19 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those with the least.

In the subgroup of patients with daily sleep deprivation, those with the most compensatory sleep had a 20 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those with the least.

The analysis, being presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in London, did not show any differences between men and women.

Co-author Yanjun Song, of the state key laboratory of infectious disease in Beijing, China, said: ‘Sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease.

‘The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays.’

Co-author Zechen Liu, also of State Key Laboratory, Beijing, China, said: ‘Our results show that for the significant proportion of the population in modern society that suffers from sleep deprivation, those who have the most ‘catch-up’ sleep at weekends have significantly lower rates of heart disease than those with the least.’

Although it is not clear exactly how sleep benefits the heart, research suggests disturbed sleep is associated with higher levels of a protein called CRP. This is a sign of inflammation, the process linked with heart and circulatory disease.

Experts believe getting more sleep can help the heart recover and repair itself and is also good for weight management, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Professor James Leiper, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Lots of us don’t get enough sleep due to work or family commitments, and while a weekend lie-in is no replacement for a regular good night’s rest, this large study suggests that it might help reduce risk of heart disease.

‘We know that lack of sleep can affect our overall wellbeing, and this research is an important reminder of how important it is to try get at least seven hours sleep every night.

‘We look forward to future studies to better understand how sleep patterns can impact the heart and how we can adapt modern lifestyles to help improve our health.’