Lazy weekends may lower depression risk in young people

Ever slept-in during the weekends without a worry in the world? 

Well, new research from US universities shows sleeping longer at weekends could reduce the risk of depression among teenagers.

The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, revealed young people aged between 16 and 24 who caught up on sleep at weekends had a 41% lower risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, compared with those who did not.

To conduct the study, researchers from the University of Oregon and the State University of New York Upstate Medical University analysed data from the 2021 to 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

It’s recommended young people get between eight and 10 hours of sleep a night. However, researchers said this is often unrealistic for many young people in the US due to the competitive environment such as school, extra-curricular activities and part-time work.

Melynda Casement, a licensed psychologist and associate professor at the University of Oregon, said: “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.”

She added that while consistent sleep is ideal, weekend lie-ins may still offer some benefits.

“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 added.

Within the study, participants recorded their usual bedtimes and wake-ups on weekdays and weekends. From this, researchers calculated weekend catch-up sleep by comparing average sleep duration across the week.

Respondents were classified as having symptoms of depression if they reported feeling sad or depressed every day.

“Instead of being a morning lark you’re going to become more of a night owl,” Casement explained, adding, “And sleep onset keeps progressively delaying in adolescence until age 18 to 20. After that, you start becoming more morning larkish again.”

Casement also revealed that depression is one of the leading causes of disability among 16- to 24-year-olds, making the findings particularly significant.

She said: “It makes that age range of particular interest in trying to understand risk factors for depression and how those might relate to delivery interventions.”

Depression is a common mental health condition that affects how a person feels, thinks, and functions in daily life. It goes beyond temporary sadness and can cause persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, fatigue, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.