Having a lie-in at the weekend can keep you happy and stave off depression, scientists say
- Nearly half of people caught up on sleep by staying in bed longer at the weekend
There’s nothing better than sleeping in on the weekend.
Now experts have discovered another reason why you should stay in bed: people who get “catch-up sleep” are less likely to experience symptoms of depression.
Researchers from Central South University in China analyzed data from nearly 8,000 people who completed an assessment of depressive symptoms and answered a questionnaire about their sleep.
They found that almost half of people caught up on sleep by staying in bed longer on weekends.
Overall, people who slept an hour or two longer on weekends were up to 46 percent less likely to show signs of depressive symptoms, they found.
There’s nothing better than sleeping in on the weekend. Now experts have discovered another reason why you should stay in bed – because people who get ‘catch-up sleep’ are less likely to experience symptoms of depression (file image)
Depressive symptoms can include persistent feelings of sadness and a lack of interest in activities that were once enjoyable.
Further analysis found that the benefit of weekend catch-up sleep on symptoms of depression was most prevalent among people who slept six hours or less on weekdays.
The link also seemed to be stronger in men and people under 65.
The team wrote in the Journal of Affective Disorders: ‘Depression is the most common mental disorder, affecting approximately 280 million people worldwide.
‘We wanted to investigate the link between catch-up sleep at the weekend and depressive symptoms in adults.’
In their conclusion, they wrote: ‘Catch-up sleep of 0-2 hours on weekends was related to a reduced risk of depressive symptoms.
‘Our findings may provide additional epidemiological evidence for the effects of sleep on depressive symptoms.’
Despite the findings, previous studies have shown that weekend late sleepers can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Research has shown that small inconsistencies in sleep patterns – for example, sleeping in for just 90 minutes on a weekend – can make a significant difference to gut health.
Experts found that people who used an alarm during the week but stayed up later and slept in on the weekend ate less healthily, with more sugary drinks and a lower intake of fruit and nuts.
They were also found to have higher inflammatory markers – a sign of poorer health – compared to people with consistent sleep patterns.
Dr. Lindsay Browning, a sleep expert and psychologist, has also previously recommended that people keep regular bedtimes throughout the week, rather than trying to catch up on lost sleep with weekend late sleepers.