Sleeping in on weekends to make up for lost sleep during the week may offer mental health benefits for teenagers and young adults, according to new research from the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.
The study found that people ages 16 to 24 who caught up on sleep over the weekend were significantly less likely to report symptoms of depression. Compared with those who did not recover sleep on weekends, this group showed a 41 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms.
The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, add to growing evidence that sleep plays a critical role in adolescent mental health. Teens and young adults face ongoing sleep challenges while also being at higher risk for depression, yet this age group has rarely been examined in studies focused on weekend catch-up sleep.
Why Weekend Sleep May Matter for Teens
This research offers one of the first looks at weekend catch-up sleep among typical adolescents and young adults in the United States. Earlier studies on the topic focused largely on school-age teens in China and Korea.
Many U.S. teens accumulate sleep debt during the school week as they juggle academic demands, social activities, extracurricular commitments, and in many cases part-time jobs.
“Sleep researchers and clinicians have long recommended that adolescents get eight to 10 hours of sleep at a regular time every day of the week, but that’s just not practical for a lot of adolescents, or people generally,” said Melynda Casement, a licensed psychologist, associate professor in the UO’s College of Arts and Sciences and director of the UO’s Sleep Lab. She co-authored the paper with Jason Carbone, assistant professor of public health and preventive medicine and of family medicine at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.
While the researchers stress that consistently getting eight to 10 hours of sleep each night remains the ideal goal, they also recognize that it is often unrealistic. When teens cannot meet that target during the week, sleeping longer on weekends may help reduce the risk of depressive symptoms.
“It’s normal for teens to be night owls, so let them catch up on sleep on weekends if they can’t get enough sleep during the week because that’s likely to be somewhat protective,” Casement said.
How the Study Measured Sleep and Mood
The researchers analyzed data from 16- to 24-year-olds who participated in the 2021-23 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants reported their typical bedtimes and wake-up times on weekdays and weekends.
Using this information, the researchers calculated weekend catch-up sleep by comparing the average amount of sleep per weekend day with the average amount per weekday. Participants also reported their emotional well-being and were classified as having symptoms of depression if they said they felt sad or depressed every day.
How Sleep Patterns Shift During Adolescence
Biological sleep rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, naturally change during adolescence. These shifts make it harder for teens to fall asleep early, even when they are tired.
“Instead of being a morning lark you’re going to become more of a night owl,” Casement explained. “And sleep onset keeps progressively delaying in adolescence until age 18 to 20. After that, you start becoming more morning larkish again.”
For many teenagers, the natural sleep window falls around 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. This schedule often clashes with early school start times across the United States. Because of this mismatch, many sleep experts and health care providers support efforts to delay school start times as a public health measure.
Why Teen Mental Health Is a Public Health Concern
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability among people ages 16 to 24, Casement said. In this context, disability refers broadly to disruptions in daily functioning, such as missing work, arriving late, or struggling to keep up with responsibilities.
“It makes that age range of particular interest in trying to understand risk factors for depression and how those might relate to delivery of interventions,” Casement said.
