Staying Up Late and Sleeping In on the Weekends Is Bad for Your Health | Entrepreneur
If you love sleeping in, staying up late, or enjoying a few extra drinks on the weekend, you might be making a serious sleep condition worse — and even increasing your risk of deadly diseases.
A new global study led by Flinders University in Australia has found that obstructive sleep apnoea — a disorder where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep — is more severe on weekends for millions of people.
What Is “Social Apnoea”?
Researchers have coined the term “social apnoea” to describe this weekend spike, linking it to lifestyle changes like alcohol use, smoking, irregular sleep schedules, and “social jetlag” (shifting your sleep by more than an hour).
By analysing sleep data from over 70,000 people worldwide using under-mattress sleep monitors, scientists found:
- Sleep apnoea was 18% more severe on Saturdays than on Wednesdays.
- Men experienced a 21% weekend increase, compared to 9% in women.
- People under 60 saw a 24% rise, compared to 7% in older adults.
- Sleeping in for 45+ minutes increased severity by 47%.
Lead researcher Dr Lucia Pinilla warns that most clinical sleep tests are done on weeknights, potentially missing this weekend effect.
Why It Matters
Untreated sleep apnoea doesn’t just make you tired — it raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, dementia, and accidents. Recent research even links it to a higher risk of deadly lung cancer.
Professor Danny Eckert, senior author of the study, advises keeping a consistent sleep routine all week, using prescribed treatments like CPAP nightly, and aiming for 7–9 hours of quality sleep.
Seasonal Changes Also Play a Role
A second study using the same dataset revealed that sleep apnoea severity also fluctuates with the seasons:
- Up to 19% worse in summer and winter than in spring or autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
- High temperatures and winter oversleeping both contribute to more frequent breathing interruptions.
Warning Signs of Sleep Apnoea
Common symptoms include:
- Loud snoring
- Choking or gasping during sleep
- Feeling unrefreshed in the morning
- Extreme daytime tiredness
If these sound familiar, talk to your doctor about a sleep study — either at home or in a clinic. Early diagnosis and consistent treatment can protect your long-term health.
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