Weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we examine associations between objectively measured weekend night vs. school night sleep patterns, weight status, and weight-related behaviors among adolescents.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Five Minnesota high schools that started early (7:30 or 7:45 AM) in Spring 2016.

Participants: Ninth grade students, ages 14.5-16 years (n = 284).

Measurements: Students completed surveys, had body measurements taken, and wore sleep (wrist) actigraphs for 1 week (n = 284). We examined weekend night-school night differences in sleep duration and sleep timing. We then assessed whether these factors were related to weight status and weight-related behaviors (eating behaviors, food consumption, physical activity, beverage consumption) using generalized linear mixed models.

Results: On average, students slept 1.5 hours (95% confidence interval 1.3-1.7) more and had a sleep midpoint 1.9 hours (1.8-2.1) later on weekend nights compared to school nights. Female students had larger increases in sleep duration on weekend nights than males but similar timing differences. Sleep duration differences were uncorrelated with sleep timing differences (r = 0.01). Neither duration nor timing differences were associated with overweight, obesity, or any of the eating behaviors we examined. However, sleeping longer on weekend nights than on school nights was associated with lower probability of being active 6-7 days per week (p = .02).

Conclusions: Adolescents have substantial sleep duration and sleep timing differences on weekend nights vs. school nights. While these differences may not be associated with weight status or weight-related behaviors, they reflect the reality that most adolescents have schedules that restrict their sleep.

Keywords: adolescents; school; sleep duration; sleep timing; weight; weight behaviors.