Overview
- Young people who made up lost sleep on weekends were about 41% less likely to report depressive symptoms than peers who did not, according to the study.
- The finding is based on self-reported weekday and weekend bedtimes, wake times, and mood measures from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
- The research focuses on ages 16 to 24 and was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders by teams at the University of Oregon and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
- Authors emphasize the association does not prove causation and reiterate recommendations for regular sleep, generally 8 to 10 hours nightly for adolescents.
- Experts highlight a biological shift toward later sleep in adolescence that clashes with early school schedules, contributing to weekday sleep debt the weekend may partly offset.