A recent study presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting highlights that teenagers who get up to two extra hours of sleep on weekends experience fewer symptoms of anxiety.

Conversely, sleeping significantly more or less than this recommended two hours is associated with higher anxiety levels among teens.

Lead author Sojeong Kim emphasizes the importance of finding the right balance of catch-up sleep to support mental health in teens who often face sleep deprivation during the week.

The research indicates that consistent sleep is linked to better health outcomes, including improved cognitive function and emotional well-being, while insufficient sleep raises the risks of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Adequate sleep in teenagers correlates with better emotional regulation and reduced mental health risks.

The findings suggest that moderate weekend recovery sleep may help mitigate mental health risks associated with restricted sleep during the weekdays.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers aged 13 to 18 should aim for 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night for optimal health.

However, CDC data reveals that only 23% of high school students achieve this recommended amount of sleep on school nights, leading many to compensate with additional sleep on weekends.

The study involved 1,877 adolescents with an average age of 13.5 years, using Fitbit devices to track sleep duration and the Child Behavior Checklist to assess anxiety symptoms.

The research suggests that moderate catch-up sleep, defined as less than two hours, may be beneficial for mental health in teens.

However, excessive catch-up sleep on weekends was linked to a slight increase in internalizing symptoms.

Kim further notes that both insufficient and excessive weekend sleep correlate with higher anxiety levels, underscoring the need for balance.