Abstract
Objective
Sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of hypertension (HTN), and many individuals practice weekend catch‐up sleep (WCS). However, evidence of an association between WCS and HTN in adults in the United States remains limited. This study examines this relationship using a nationally representative sample.
Methods
Data from NHANES 2017–2023 (16,268 adults aged ≥ 20 years) were analyzed. The WCS was defined as weekend sleep minus weekday sleep. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and metabolic factors. WCS was examined as a binary (> 0 vs. ≤ 0 h), continuous, and categorical (≤ 0, 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, and ≥ 3 h) variable. Subgroup analyses were exploratory and not corrected for multiple testing.
Results
In the fully adjusted models, neither the binary nor continuous WCS duration was significantly associated with HTN (
p
> 0.05). Among categorical analyses, only the 0–1 h WCS group showed lower odds of HTN compared with the ≤ 0 h group (OR = 0.814, 95% CI: 0.666–0.995,
p
= 0.033); all other WCS categories (1–2 h, 2–3 h, and ≥ 3 h) were nonsignificant. No dose–response relationship was observed. Subgroup analyses suggested potential effect modification by sex and education, but these results are hypothesis‐generating given the lack of correction for multiple comparisons.
Conclusion
In this large cross‐sectional study, the WCS was not robustly associated with HTN. The isolated finding of 0–1 h of WCS requires confirmation in prospective studies and should not be interpreted as evidence for a preventive or therapeutic strategy.