Short, but not long, weekend sleep is associated with an increased risk of early death in individuals under the age of 65. That's according to a new study. In the same age group, both the short and long nights on weekdays and weekends showed increased mortality compared to consistent 6-7 hours of sleep per day. The link between sleep duration and mortality seems easier to understand when considering the analysis of the joint effects of week and weekend sleep, the authors noted.
"The results imply that short (weekday) sleep is not a risk factor for mortality when combined with average or long weekend sleep," they wrote. "This suggests that a short week's sleep over the weekend can be compensated, and that this has implications for mortality."
