Sleeping

Why is it good to sleep in on weekends?

The study we have conducted does not exactly say that it is good to sleep in on weekends, but it says that people who sleep less during the weekdays but longer on the weekend seem to have protection from premature mortality. Their mortality is less than for people whose sleep is shorter both on weekdays and on the weekends, and for those who sleep long all week long. Possibly, long weekend sleep may compensate for short weekday sleep.

Torbjörn Åkerstedt
Torbjörn Åkerstedt

How have you come to this conclusion in your research, what kind of data is it based on?

The study was based on data from over 40,000 participants in Sweden whose sleeping patterns were studied at start and followed up 13 years later to see what their lifestyle and medical history was like in relation to mortality.

Can a person sleep too much?

A person who usually sleeps longer than what is normal (average) seems to be a bit more sleepy than others and may have an activated immune system. The the link between long sleep and mortality seems to be of more environmental origin, while that of short sleep is more hereditary. What is causing the sleepiness is still being investigated.

More information

Read the full research article here.

Stress Research Institute