Beneficial effects of weekend catch-up sleep on metabolic syndrome in chronic short sleepers

Abstract

Objectives: Short sleep duration has been known to be related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) . The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of weekend catch-up sleep (WCUS) on MetS in the Korean middle-aged population.

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, 1,812 participants aged 35-60 years were selected from the 2016-2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (mean age 46.94 years, 49% male). Short sleep duration was defined as <6hrs on weekdays, and participants were divided into two groups: WCUS group and no weekend catch-up sleep group. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the association between WCUS and MetS prevalence. The covariates included age, sex, education, income, occupation, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

Results: WCUS was significantly associated with lower MetS prevalence in the unadjusted model and in the model adjusted for socioeconomic and health behavior factors.

Conclusion: These results support the beneficial effects of WCUS on lowering the risk of MetS among middle-aged chronic short sleepers.

Keywords: Catch-up sleep; Korea; Metabolic syndrome; Middle-aged; Short sleep duration; Sleep restriction.