Why your guilty weekend sleep-in may be good for your health

Michael SearlesSeptember 5, 2026 — 5:00amHaving a sleep-in on the weekend may help protect the heart, new research has suggested. Leading heart doctors said it was time to stop feeling “lazy or guilty” about getting up later on a Saturday or Sunday.The study found that people who caught up on sleep at the weekend were up to 9 per cent less likely to have high blood pressure. It also identified the amount of extra sleep needed to get the most benefit: one hour and 27 minutes.Experts have previously suggested lazy weekend mornings could be harmful and have recommended consistent bed and wake-up times for “sleep hygiene”.A lack of sleep can increase the risk of developing hypertension.Getty ImagesHowever, the new research, presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich, suggests that a lie-in might be the body’s way of recovering, disputing the idea that you cannot catch up on missed sleep.The seven-year study analysed 41,000 adults between 2016 and 2023 and looked at the amount of “catch-up sleep” people were getting at weekends based on the difference between sleep duration on a weekday and weekend days.Dr Nawon Lee, the study author from Korea University in Seoul, said: “Not getting enough sleep puts extra stress on the body. 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.“People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend. If they have not been able to get enough sleep during the week, some extra sleep on the weekend may simply be the body’s way of recovering from that sleep loss.”‘Silent killer’A lack of sleep prevents blood pressure levels from falling at night, which in turn increases the risk of developing clinically high blood pressure called hypertension.Doctors often call this a “silent killer” because it can be symptomless despite increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart disease.Around 39 per cent of Australian adults, equivalent to 7.2 million people, have hypertension but many are unaware.The findings of the study bring into question the benefits of waking up at the same time on a weekend as a working day.However it did also reveal that having too much additional weekend sleep could be harmful, with people sleeping for more than four hours extra at the weekend at greater risk of hypertension.Dr Lee added: “I think moderate weekend catch-up sleep may have a protective effect because, in people who are sleep-deprived during the week, the benefit of compensating for insufficient sleep may outweigh the potential harm from having an irregular sleep schedule.“However when weekend catch-up sleep becomes excessive, the degree of sleep irregularity and circadian disruption may increase, which could offset that benefit.”It comes after previous research had shown regular bedtimes and wake-ups reduced the risk of a stroke.The study by the University of Ottawa in Canada tracked more than 72,000 volunteers’ sleeping habits using activity trackers. Irregular sleepers were 26 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke, heart failure or heart attack than regular ones.This latest study shows that catching up on sleep at the weekend can help even if it means disrupting the body clock, known as the circadian rhythm.Telegraph UKMake the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.From our partners