Moderate Weekend Sleep Helps Reduce Anxiety in Teens

Recent research presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting highlights the importance of balanced sleep patterns for teenagers' mental health. The study found that teens who obtain up to two additional hours of sleep on weekends compared to weekdays tend to exhibit fewer anxiety symptoms. Conversely, sleeping significantly more or less than this moderate range was linked with heightened anxiety levels.

Lead researcher Sojeong Kim from the University of Oregon explained that while sleeping less on weekends than during the week or sleeping excessively can be associated with increased anxiety, a moderate catch-up sleep of less than two hours appears to be beneficial. This suggests that some weekend recovery sleep can support mental well-being.

Official guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend that adolescents aged 13 to 18 aim for 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. However, data shows that only about 23% of high school students typically get enough sleep on school nights, often trying to compensate by sleeping in on weekends. Consistently achieving sufficient sleep has been linked to better attention, behavior, memory, emotional regulation, and overall health, whereas insufficient sleep heightens the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts.

The study involved nearly 1,900 adolescents, with sleep monitored via Fitbit devices. Findings emphasize the importance of maintaining consistent sleep patterns and avoiding large fluctuations between weekday and weekend sleep durations. Identifying the optimal amount of weekend catch-up sleep can help mitigate mental health issues among teenagers.

Published in the journal SLEEP, this research underscores the delicate balance needed in teen sleep habits to promote mental health and reduce anxiety symptoms.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-sweet-moderate-weekend-teen-anxiety.html