According to a study conducted by the ZOE project at King's College London, the results have shown that deviating from a regular sleep schedule throughout the week may have detrimental effects on our health.
The study focused on people who typically got at least seven hours of sleep each night. Researchers conducted analyses of gut samples and glucose levels among the participants.
The study revealed that people who went to bed and woke up 90 minutes later on weekends exhibited gut bacteria associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and obesity.
While some of these findings were correlated with dietary habits, Dr. Wendy Hall from King's College emphasized the profound influence of sleep on our health. She noted, "We know that major disruptions in sleep, such as shift work, can have a profound impact on your health.
This is the first study to show that even small differences in sleep timings across the week seem to be linked to differences in gut bacterial species. Some of these associations were linked to dietary differences, but our data also indicates that other, as yet unknown factors may be involved.
Kate Bermingham of King's College added, "Sleep is a fundamental aspect of health. Even a 90-minute variation can encourage microbiota species associated with unfavorable health outcomes."
Specifically, three out of the six types of gut bacteria that were more prevalent in the group favoring weekend sleep-ins are known to be associated with poor health.
Those who experienced significant variation in their sleep times, a phenomenon referred to as social jetlag, were also more likely to consume higher quantities of chips, crisps, and sugary drinks while consuming less fruit.
Dr. Bermingham added: "Sleep is a key pillar of health. Even a 90-minute difference can encourage microbiota species which have unfavorable associations with your health."
In the study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, Dr Hall said intervention trials are needed to "find out whether improving sleep time consistency can lead to beneficial changes in the gut microbiome and related health outcomes."
