1.New research based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data has revealed that individuals who engage in longer weekend catch-up sleep, meaning they sleep more on weekends, are significantly less likely to exhibit symptoms of depression.
2.The association was notably stronger among men, individuals under the age of 65, and those who sleep fewer hours on weekdays. The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
3.Depression is the most common mental disorder globally and the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States, statistics show that approximately 18.5% of individuals exhibited symptoms of depression in the past two weeks.
4.The primary symptoms of depression include persistent feelings of sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyable. This condition can lead to various emotional and physical problems that impair an individual’s ability to function both at work and at home.
5.Symptoms may include changes in sleep, appetite, energy levels, concentration, daily behavior, or self-esteem. Depression often involves feelings of hopelessness or physical symptoms that cannot be explained by other medical conditions.
6.Study author Zhicheng Luo and colleagues wanted to investigate the association between weekend catch-up sleep and depressive symptoms. They noted that loss of sleep seems to be increasingly usual and inevitable in modern society, particularly during workdays.
7. To address this, people often sleep longer on weekends to make up for the sleep deficit accumulated during the workweek. This behavior is prevalent among individuals who do not get sufficient sleep on weekdays due to work, study, or other commitments.
8. The authors analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted in 2017 and 2020. This survey is part of a program designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States and is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
9. The analysis included data from 7,719 participants who completed an assessment of depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and a questionnaire on sleep disorders. From this, the study authors derived data on weekend catch-up sleep by comparing the times participants reported falling asleep and waking up on weekdays and weekends.
