Associations of weekday-to-weekend sleep differences with academic performance and health-related outcomes in school-age children and youths

A systematic review of 72 studies found that weekday-to-weekend differences in sleep timing are associated with poorer academic performance and depressive symptoms in youths.

• Weekday-to-weekend differences in sleep timing, particularly bedtime, could lead to poorer academic performance and increased depressive symptoms in secondary school students.
• Higher weekday-to-weekend sleep timing discrepancies may be linked to a greater risk of substance use and overweight/obesity in children and youths.
• Differences in sleep duration between weekdays and weekends showed a modest association with poorer academic performance and depressive symptoms across all samples.
• In Asian children and youths, greater sleep differences may be related to a higher risk of overweight/obesity.
• Limited evidence suggests that larger weekday-to-weekend sleep discrepancies are associated with an increased risk of behavioral problems and suicidality.

AI simplified