Nowadays, many people don't get enough sleep on weekdays, and they choose to sleep lazily on weekends, and some people can even sleep for most of the day.
So, what is the difference between a person who catches up sleep and someone who doesn't?
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People who lack sleep make up for it on weekends and greatly reduce the risk of depression!
In 2024, researchers from the Department of Neurology of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University published a study on "The relationship between weekend catch-up sleep and depression" in the journal Sleep Medicine. The study, which involved more than 5,000 people, found that people who didn't get enough sleep during the week, catching up on the weekend had a significantly lower risk of depression.
Screenshot of the study
People who catch up on weekends have a 19% lower risk of depression compared to those who don't catch up on weekends.
In particular, among participants who did not get enough sleep on weekdays (less than 7 hours of sleep), those who made up sleep on weekends had a 34% lower risk of depression compared to those who did not catch up on weekends.
This suggests that sleeping in on weekends may be an active strategy to regulate your mental state. Researchers say that if you usually sleep less, you can improve your depressive symptoms by catching up on sleep on weekends. ①②
People who lack sleep make up for it on weekends, and the heart may also benefit
In 2023, researchers from Huai'an First People's Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University published a study in the journal "Sleep Health" on "The relationship between weekend catch-up sleep time and the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases". The study, which involved 3,400 people, found that for people who slept less than six hours on weekdays, two more hours of catch-up sleep on weekends was associated with a 70% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Screenshot of the study
Analysis of different types of cardiovascular disease found that weekend sleep was associated with lower angina, stroke, and coronary heart disease. ③
Don't overtake this time to catch up on sleep on weekends
Although for those who do not sleep, the benefits of catching up on sleep on weekends are greater. But it's not always better to make up more. Research reminder: Don't make up for sleep for more than 2 hours.
A study of more than 5,000 people published in Sleep Medicine in 2021 showed that 8 hours of sleep as the gold standard and 1 hour of lazy sleep on weekends can reduce the risk of depression by about 30%. People who sleep an extra 2 hours may have a 48% lower risk of depression.
However, when more than 2 hours of lazy sleep is associated with an increased risk of depression. ④⑤
Screenshot of the study
Also, for people who usually don't lack sleep, it's better to maintain a regular schedule on weekends, and there is no need to catch up on extra sleep at all.
The above-mentioned study by researchers from Huai'an First People's Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University found that for people who slept more than 8 hours on weekdays, more than 2 hours of catch-up sleep on weekends increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. ③
Moreover, making up for sleep on weekends cannot completely offset the harm caused by the usual bad work and rest, but only a temporary relief. Long-term sleep deprivation will still cause physical overdraft, decreased immunity, and deterioration of physical fitness. A 2023 study published in the journal Sleep Health, which surveyed more than 6,000 adult participants with an average age of 50, found that people with large differences in sleep rhythms were more likely to have premature aging. ⑥
Therefore, if you can usually maintain enough and regular sleep, it is better not to take the initiative to stay up late.
Pay attention to 3 points for weekend sleep! Otherwise, the more you make up, the more tired you get
Why do many people feel more sad about the next Monday after catching up on sleep? Because the way to catch up on sleep is not right! Yu Zhouwei, a former neurologist at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, said in an article published on the official account of "Sleep Science" in 2021 that if you indulge in play at night and wake up naturally at noon the next day, this kind of routine will disrupt the circadian rhythm in the body, making it difficult to fall asleep that night and even harder to get up the next day. If that form continues into Monday, it will surely be the worst possible for the new week.
How to make up for sleep is reasonable? Dr. Yu Zhouwei gave 3 suggestions:
1. Don't sleep too much on weekends
Sleep in the morning is allowed, but don't wake up more than 1 hour on your weekdays. In other words, if you start work at 6 o'clock, you should not wake up more than 7 o'clock on weekends.
2. Don't forget to take a nap on weekends
Make up for sleep on the weekend, and you can make up for it again at noon. After lunch, take a 20-30 minute nap before 3 p.m.
With this method, not only can the lack of sleep during the workday be compensated for to a certain extent, but also it will not cause a disrupted circadian rhythm.
3. Go to bed half an hour earlier on Sundays
On Sunday night, go to bed about 30 minutes earlier at the usual bedtime time to try to make yourself feel better on Monday morning.
Why not a little earlier, you may ask? Because if you advance too much, you may not be able to sleep. Instead of lying anxious in bed, get up and find something to do. ⑦
This article is synthesized from:
①Association between weekend catch-up sleep and depression of the United States population from 2017 to 2018: A cross-sectional study
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945724001643?via%3Dihub
(2)2024-05-10Medical Novi "I usually stay up late, but I can make up for it on the weekend!" According to a new study from Central South University, the risk of heart disease may be reduced by 70% and the risk of depression may be reduced by sleep.
③Association between weekend catch-up sleep and cardiovascular disease: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2017-2018.
https://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218(23)00226-7/abstract
④Weekend catch-up sleep and depression: results from a nationally representative sample in Korea
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945721004536?via%3Dihub
(5)2022-04-19Simple Psychology "Sleeping lazily on weekends can reduce the risk of depression|Daily canned"
⑥Xiaoling Wang, Yanyan Xu, Xinyue Li, Asifhusen Mansuri, William V. McCall, Yutao Liu, Shaoyong Su,Day-to-day deviations in sleep parameters and biological aging: Findings from the NHANES 2011-2014,Sleep Health,2023.
(7)2021-03-27Sleep and Science "IMHO, Your Weekend Sleep Method May Be Wrong" (Yu Zhouwei)
Editor: Ren Xuan
Reviewer: Lu Yang