“You do it too, or you see your children do it: waking up early all week, and then staying in bed late on Saturday mornings. What seems like laziness, according to new research, could instead be an instinctive form of protection.
more on the weekend? The study
A group of American researchers analyzed the sleep habits of over 1,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24, asking them what time they went to bed and woke up on weekdays and weekends. The goal was to understand whether catching up on sleep on Saturdays and Sundays had an effect on mood.
The answer is yes.
The thing to remember
Teens who got more sleep on the weekend were 41% less likely to report depressive symptoms than those who didn’t recover.
It is not a figure to be taken as an absolute certainty – an observational study does not establish direct causes – but the signal is clear enough that it cannot be ignored.
Why do kids sleep little?
It’s not a question of will. During adolescence, biological rhythms really change: the body naturally tends to fall asleep later, pushing towards midnight and beyond.
“Sleep onset time continues to move progressively later during adolescence, up to the age of 18-20,” explains Melynda Casement, psychologist at the University of Oregon and director of the Sleep Lab. “Instead of being early risers, we tend to become more night owls.”
The problem is that early wake-ups don’t wait. School, training, commitments: the day still starts at dawn, while the body would still ask for rest.
Why sleep matters so much at this stage
Depression is a leading cause of functional difficulties between ages 16 and 24. It interferes with school, work, relationships. And sleep is one of the factors that can be acted upon – at least in part.
“Let’s let the guys recover over the weekend,” Casement says. “It is likely to have some protective effect.”
What to do, concretely
Weekend recovery is not a substitute for getting regular, sufficient sleep each night. But in real life, perfection doesn’t exist. If your child – or you yourself – sleep little during the week, giving yourself a few extra hours on Saturday and Sunday is not a vice. It’s a strategy.
For more information, laws the in-depth analysis in the Veronesi Foundation Magazine
