Study finds association between teen sleep patterns and alcohol or marijuana use

Adolescents who sleep less or stay up later are significantly more likely to have used alcohol and marijuana over the past month when compared to their peers who report better sleep patterns, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Studying adolescents in Southern California, researchers found that the association between sleep and alcohol/marijuana use was consistent even after controlling for other known risk factors, such as depression.

The findings, published online by the journal Sleep Health, were generally consistent across racial and ethnic groups.

"Our findings suggest that sleep issues are independently associated with alcohol and marijuana use for teens, not just a marker for other risk factors, such as depression," said Wendy Troxel, the study's lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Better understanding of the association between sleep and substance use is important for parents, schools and others involved in alcohol and drug...

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URL: 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-05/rc-rsf051815.php