American researchers have shown that sleeping in to catch up on lost sleep and having irregular sleep schedules would notably increase cardiovascular risks.
Staggering the wake-up time is associated with an 11% increased risk of developing heart disease, a study by researchers at the University of Arizona on health and sleep habits, including staggering, has found. wake-up and sleep times between weekdays and weekends for nearly 1,000 adults aged 22 to 60. The team found that irregular sleep cycles were bad for metabolism. Each hour of delay (a lie-in, for example) would thus be associated with an 11% increase in the risk of developing heart disease. The irregularity of the nights would also lead to severe fatigue, drowsiness, irritability and a risk of depression.
These scientists from the University of Arizona Health Science in the United States subtracted the average weekday and weekend sleep threshold based on participants’ responses to the sleep-wake rhythm questionnaire. They were thus able to obtain the social jet lag.
For researchers, jet lag, i.e. the difference between sleep patterns on rest days and work days, has become an important marker for well-being capital. The study authors also observed that social jet lag was associated with poorer health, poor mood, and increased sleepiness and fatigue.