Lifestyle : Sleeping more during weekends pose risk of heart disease

In case you are going to bed late on weekends and as a result waking up late, it could be a matter of concern.

According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona, sleeping for long hours on weekends can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

The phenomenon is termed as “social jet lag,” which happens when you sleep late and wake up later on weekends. The social jet lag is associated with poorer health, worse mood, and fatigue, according to a study published in an online supplement of the journal Sleep.

Scientists found that every hour of deviation from your normal sleep routine could increase your risk of heart disease by 11 percent. The research, led by senior author Michael A. Grandner, analyzed survey responses from 984 adults between the ages of 22 and 60. The survey involved questions about sleep habits, diet, and environment.

According to the study, every hour of social jet lag was associated with a 22.1 and 28.3 percent increase in the likelihood of having just "good" or "fair/poor" health, respectively, compared with "excellent" health.

“Results indicate that sleep regularity, beyond sleep duration alone, plays a significant role in our health,” lead author Sierra B. Forbush, an undergraduate research assistant in the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a statement. “This suggests that a regular sleep schedule may be an effective, relatively simple and inexpensive preventative treatment for heart diseases as well as many other health problems.”

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends adults should sleep for seven or more hours a day. It also recommends that young adults, people who are trying to recover from a "sleep debt," and people who are ill, may all benefit from sleeping for longer than nine hours every day.

Several studies over the past few years have shown a link between sleep deprivation and heart diseases.

Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, PhD, from the Sleep Research & Treatment Center, Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News Monday that risk for death associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cerebrovascular disease (CBV) is significantly increased in adults who get fewer than six hours of sleep a night.

"We found that the risk of mortality associated with CVD and stroke was enhanced in those who slept less than six hours in the lab; specifically, their risk of mortality was 1.8-fold and 2.4-fold, respectively. In contrast, in individuals who slept more than six hours in the lab, the risk of mortality associated with CVD or stroke was not significantly increased," Fernandez-Mendoza said.

A 2013 study also revealed people who tend to get less than six hours of sleep every night were more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and to be obese.