A new study presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting suggests that catching up on missed sleep over the weekend could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

The research, which analyzed data from the UK Biobank project, found that individuals who managed to get additional hours of sleep on weekends were up to 20 percent less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who did not, The Guardian reports.

The study examined records from 90,903 adults, focusing on 19,816 participants identified as sleep-deprived. Over a 14-year follow-up period, researchers discovered that those who compensated with the most extra sleep on weekends were 19 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease than those who had minimal additional sleep.

Specifically, the amount of “catch-up” sleep during weekends varied considerably among participants, ranging from an extra 1.28 hours to 16.06 hours. Conversely, those with the least amount of weekend sleep lost between 16.05 hours to 0.26 hours.

Further analysis of a subgroup of individuals with daily sleep deprivation revealed even more compelling results. Those who achieved the most compensatory sleep on weekends exhibited a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease.

“Sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease,” said the study’s lead author from China’s National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease in Beijing, Yanjun Song, according to the Guardian. “The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays.”

Adding to the findings, co-author Zechen Liu noted, “Our results show that for the significant proportion of the population in modern society that suffers from sleep deprivation, those who have the most ‘catch-up’ sleep at weekends have significantly lower rates of heart disease than those with the least.”