Association between weekend catch-up sleep and metabolic syndrome: A cross-sectional study

The association between weekend catch-up sleep (WCS) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between WCS and MetS. This cross-sectional study was performed on individuals (n = 7658) based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2017 to 2020. Five categories of WCS were calculated: decreased (WCS < 0 hours), no change (WCS = 0 hours), short WCS (0 hours < WCS ≤ 1 hour), moderate WCS (1 hour < WCS < 2 hours), and long WCS (WCS ≥ 2 hours). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between WCS and MetS, as well as its components. The analysis was further refined by integrating a restricted cubic spline, and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were then performed. The study found that moderate (1–<2 hours; odds ratio [OR] = 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53–0.98) and long (≥2 hours; OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.52–0.98) weekly sleep durations were associated with lower odds of MetS. This association appeared to be primarily driven by a robust association with hypertension (moderate WCS: OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46–0.89; long WCS: OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43–0.83). In exploratory subgroup analyses, associations were observed for males, Mexican Americans, individuals who slept 6 to 9 hours/night during the weekday, and those who were sedentary for 8 hours/day; however, interaction tests were not statistically significant for most subgroups, and these findings require further validation. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the stability of the association between moderate/long WCS and lower odds of MetS. The restricted cubic spline model indicated a nonlinear relationship between WCS and MetS. Moderate to long WCS was associated with lower odds of hypertension and MetS in this cross-sectional analysis. Additional prospective studies are required to verify these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.