Moderate Weekend Catch-Up Sleep May Ease Teen ‍Anxiety

Updated June 13, 2025

Teens who moderately increase their sleep on weekends may experience fewer anxiety symptoms, according ‍to a new study. The research, led by Sojeong Kim, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon, suggests⁣ that⁢ “catch-up sleep” can ‍be beneficial, but only in moderation.

The ‍study, involving 1,877 adolescents with an average age of 13.5,used fitbit devices to track sleep duration and the Child Behavior Checklist survey to assess internalizing symptoms. The findings indicate that teens who slept up to two hours longer on weekends than weekdays reported fewer anxiety ⁣symptoms compared to those with no change in sleep duration. However, excessive catch-up sleep was linked to slightly more internalizing symptoms.

Kim emphasized the importance of finding the ⁤right balance. “The results show that both sleeping less on weekends than weekdays and sleeping substantially more on weekends were associated with⁢ higher anxiety symptoms,” Kim said. “In contrast, moderate catch-up sleep — defined as less than two hours — was associated with lower anxiety symptoms, suggesting that some weekend recovery sleep may be beneficial.”

The American Academy of Sleep medicine recommends that teenagers aged 13 to 18 get 8 to 10 hours of sleep regularly. Though, Centers for Disease Control⁣ and Prevention (CDC) data reveals that‍ only 23% of high school students achieve this on an average school night.

Sufficient sleep is crucial for teenagers, ⁤promoting better attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, ⁢and overall mental and physical health. Insufficient sleep, conversely, is linked to increased risks of depression and suicidal thoughts.

“too little or too much sleep variability⁢ from weekday to weekend may contribute to the ‍symptoms someone is trying to combat, like physical or mental fatigue and feelings of anxiety,” Kim⁣ said.

What’s next

the study, presented at SLEEP 2025 in Seattle, highlights the need for further research to determine the ideal amount of catch-up sleep for teenagers who consistently restrict their sleep during the week. Future studies could explore personalized sleep recommendations based on individual needs and sleep patterns.