Share to ClassroomStudy: Extra Weekend Sleep Helps Blood Pressure
Sleeping later at the weekend may be good for your health, a new study says. The research was shown at a large heart conference in Munich, Germany. Scientists at Korea University looked at the sleep of about 40,000 adults in South Korea. People who slept longer at the weekend were up to 9% less likely to have high blood pressure. The best amount of extra sleep was one hour and 27 minutes.
For many years, sleep experts have told people to go to bed and get up at the same time each day. They said that an irregular routine upsets the body clock. But Dr Nawon Lee, who led the study, said that too little sleep makes the heart and blood vessels work harder. Extra sleep at the weekend may help the body recover. Even so, there is a limit. People who slept more than four extra hours had a higher risk.
More than 1.3 billion people in the world have high blood pressure. It can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. Lee said people should not feel guilty about sleeping late on their day off. But a heart doctor in Britain said this is not a reason to exercise less.
