Just over seven hours of sleep a night could help ward off diabetes precursor

Catching up on sleep at the weekend may actually be detrimental to a person’s health, a new study suggests.

Previous studies have found that sleep duration is strongly linked with the risk of insulin resistance – the precursor for type 2 diabetes.

So academics set out to examine the optimal amount of sleep each night to ward off insulin resistance.

They also wanted to assess whether having more sleep at the weekend had an impact.

Researchers from China examined data on more than 23,000 US adults, including their sleep and their estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) to examine insulin resistance.

This is calculated by examining a person’s blood sugar levels after fasting, their waist circumference and their blood pressure.

People involved in the study reported an average of seven and a half hours of sleep in the week.

Just under half (48%) said that they also had catch-up sleep at the weekend.

The optimal length of sleep was seven hours and 19 minutes for avoiding insulin resistance, they found.

Any more or less had an impact on eGDR.

Further analysis showed that for those sleeping less than the optimal amount during the week, one to two hours of weekend catch-up sleep was associated with higher eGDR.

And for those sleeping more than the optimal weekday sleep, coupled with more than two hours of weekend catch-up sleep was associated with a lower eGDR – indicating a greater risk of insulin resistance.

The authors conclude that weekend catch up sleep is “beneficial only in moderation and specifically for those with weekday sleep debt, whereas it may be detrimental for those who already sleep sufficiently”.

Writing in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, they add: “The findings advocate for more personalised sleep guidelines in clinical practice and public health, encouraging consistent, adequate sleep over weekend compensation, and highlight the need for research into the mechanisms behind sleep patterns and metabolic risk.”

Published: 04/03/2026 by Radio NewsHub