Depression is a prevalent chronic mental disorder that can lead to significant health and societal burdens, often characterized by negative emotions, changes in body weight, cognitive alterations, poor quality of life, and a heightened risk of suicide (Duffy and Kelly, 2019; Nemeroff, 2007). According to reports, the number of individuals with depression increased by 49.86 % from 1990 to 2017 (Liu et al., 2020b). In 2019, an estimated 279.6 million individuals were diagnosed with varying degrees of depression, exhibiting a lifetime prevalence ranging from 15 % to 18 %, along with a suicide rate as high as 15 % (2022; Malhi and Mann, 2018). While there are various approaches to treat severe depression (Gartlehner et al., 2023), unfortunately, among individuals receiving two or more treatment courses, 30 % still do not experience relief (Bergfeld et al., 2018). Therefore, the prevention of depression is of irreplaceable importance. Existing studies have shown that good lifestyle habits can significantly reduce the incidence of depression (Adamson et al., 2016; Azarmanesh et al., 2022; Liang et al., 2023).

Sleep is crucial for the body and brain's recovery, growth, and memory consolidation, constituting an indispensable part of life. The Sleep Research Society (SRS) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggest that adults ought to aim to get a minimum of 7 h of sleep each night (Watson et al., 2015). Sufficient sleep duration and quality have been illustrated to lower the occurrence of circumstances like hypertension (Gangwisch, 2014; Zhou et al., 2021), diabetes (Shan et al., 2015), obesity (Sunwoo et al., 2020), and cognitive impairment (Smith et al., 2021). Unfortunately, in today's society, individuals often struggle to obtain sufficient sleep due to factors related to work, lifestyle, and the environment (Ford et al., 2015). Consequently, the prevalent practice of Weekend Catch-up Sleep (WCS) is gaining popularity. WCS refers to compensating for short sleep durations during weekdays by extending sleep duration on weekends (Im et al., 2017). Existing research suggests that WCS plays a positive role in improving obesity (Im et al., 2017), cardiovascular diseases (Zhu et al., 2023), and life's health-related quality (Oh et al., 2023). The connection between WCS and depression in the usual population remains unclear. Clarifying this relationship not only helps elucidate the complex interplay between depression and sleep patterns but also holds the potential to impact the development of depression treatment strategies positively.

This study seeks to enquire into the possible connection between WCS and depression in participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), providing improved instruction for the treatment and prevention of depression.