Weekend Lie-Ins May Protect Against High Blood Pressure — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Dr Nawon Lee authored a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology's annual congress finding that weekend lie-ins may be very good for you and can protect against high blood pressure.
- Dr Lee said people should not feel "lazy or guilty" for sleeping longer on weekends, a quote Mahdawi uses as the column's moral centerpiece.
- Mahdawi frames the finding as part of "lazymaxxing," positioning weekend sleep as a low-effort health counter to the tech-enabled self-optimization culture she mocks as "humanmaxxing."
- A 2025 study cited in the column found morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die early of any cause, which Mahdawi groups with lie-ins as evidence that low-effort habits can be health-positive.
- Mahdawi writes that her five-year-old daughter wakes her at 6am daily, making weekend lie-ins logistically difficult despite the favorable science.
Why it matters: The study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology's annual congress, giving the finding visibility among clinicians who shape patient guidance on sleep and cardiovascular risk. Mahdawi's column joins a wave of commentary reframing weekend rest as a legitimate health practice rather than a personal failing, pushing back against the 'rise and grind' ethos embraced by 4am CEO culture.
Ask SkimNews
