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Catching up on sleep at the weekend may actually be detrimental to a person’s health, a new study suggests.
Previous studies have found that sleep duration is strongly linked with the risk of insulin resistance – the precursor for type 2 diabetes.
So academics set out to examine the optimal amount of sleep each night to ward off insulin resistance.
They also wanted to assess whether having more sleep at the weekend had an impact.
Researchers from China examined data on more than 23,000 US adults, including their sleep and their estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) to examine insulin resistance.
This is calculated by examining a person’s blood sugar levels after fasting, their waist circumference and their blood pressure.
People involved in the study reported an average of seven and a half hours of sleep in the week.
Just under half (48%) said that they also had catch-up sleep at the weekend.
The optimal length of sleep was seven hours and 19 minutes for avoiding insulin resistance, they found.
Any more or less had an impact on eGDR.
Further analysis showed that for those sleeping less than the optimal amount during the week, one to two hours of weekend catch-up sleep was associated with higher eGDR.
And for those sleeping more than the optimal weekday sleep, coupled with more than two hours of weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a lower eGDR – indicating a greater risk of insulin resistance.
The authors conclude that weekend catch up sleep is “beneficial only in moderation and specifically for those with weekday sleep debt, whereas it may be detrimental for those who already sleep sufficiently”.
Writing in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, they add: “The findings advocate for more personalised sleep guidelines in clinical practice and public health, encouraging consistent, adequate sleep over weekend compensation, and highlight the need for research into the mechanisms behind sleep patterns and metabolic risk.”
Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: “There is plenty of evidence showing that shorter sleep – typically less than seven hours a night – is linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“Poor sleep disrupts appetites, meaning people often eat more after a poor night’s sleep, and simply being awake for longer creates more opportunities to eat.
“In addition, inadequate sleep may directly affect key hormones, including stress hormones, that influence glucose levels.
“The current study adds to this body of research, although it is observational, so we must interpret the findings with some caution.
“That said, genetic studies also suggest that people predisposed to shorter sleep are at higher risk of future diabetes, strengthening the likelihood of a causal link.
“The practical message is that people should work hard at developing good sleep hygiene: going to bed at consistent times, creating a wind down routine, and reducing screen use – particularly mobile phones – in the hour before bed.
“The easy access to digital distractions is likely contributing to declining sleep quality and duration, which may in turn contribute to more obesity and diabetes.”
