Adolescent napping behavior: Comparisons of school week versus weekend sleep patterns

Adolescents typically sleep in on weekends to catch up on their school-week sleep debt. This study explored adolescents' napping behavior by comparing weekly sleep patterns with non-nappers. Older adolescents (n = 231) completed sleep questionnaires. Approximately 32% napped on average 4 times/week, typically around 16.00 hours. Nappers had a significantly delayed sleep timing compared to non-nappers (P < 0.0001). Although both nappers and non-nappers obtained more sleep on weekends by sleeping in (P < 0.0001), the data suggest that most nappers appear to catch up on school-week sleep debt by not only sleeping in on weekends, but by also napping during the school week.