Physical activity (PA) is a key modifiable factor influencing sleep health. The “Weekend Warrior” (WW) pattern is increasingly common, yet its association with multidimensional sleep outcomes remains unclear. Using accelerometer-derived PA data and comprehensive sleep questionnaires from the UK Biobank, we classified 78,034 adults into three groups: inactive, WW, and regularly active (RA). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine associations between PA patterns and 9 sleep-related outcomes, including sleep quality, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), chronotype, fatigue, psychological distress, cognitive complaints, sleepiness and restless legs syndrome (RLS) adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health factors. Compared to inactive individuals, both WW and RA patterns were significantly associated with better sleep outcomes. In fully adjusted models, WW individuals had lower odds of poor sleep quality (PSQI: OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87–0.95), evening-type circadian preference (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.52–0.65), insomnia (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87–0.96), OSA (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.68–0.82), fatigue (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.78–0.89), psychological distress (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.78–0.91) and cognitive complaints (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82–0.96). Similar protective effects were observed for RA. Stratified analyses revealed that females, individuals under 65, and White participants derived greater sleep benefits from the WW pattern, particularly in sleep quality, OSA, and circadian preference. Both WW and RA are associated with improved sleep health. The WW pattern represents a viable and effective strategy for enhancing sleep, especially among time-constrained individuals. These findings are of great significance for gender- and age-tailored sleep intervention.
Guo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.