Sleep problems linked to alcohol consumption in teenagers

Teenagers who sleep less or stay awake late in the night are significantly more likely to consume alcohol and marijuana as compared to their peers who report better sleep patterns, says a new research.

"Our findings suggest that sleep issues are independently associated with alcohol and marijuana use for teenagers, not just a marker for other risk factors such as depression," said the study's lead author Wendy Troxel, behavioural scientist at RAND Corporation, a US-based non-profit research organisation.

"Better understanding of the association between sleep and substance use is important for parents, schools and others involved in alcohol and drug prevention efforts for this age group," Troxel noted.

The teenagers in the study were originally recruited from 16 middle schools across three school districts in Southern California. There were 2,539 teenagers who self-reported their total sleep time and bedtime, as well as alcohol or marijuana use, when they were in high school. The surveys were completed between May 2013 and April 2014.

The findings appeared online in the journal Sleep Health.