Kids who get less sleep face greater risk of future drug, alcohol use, study finds

A good night’s sleep has many proven benefits — potentially including a healthier future for kids.

New research from Penn State University analyzed how childhood sleep patterns could be linked to future substance use.

Researchers at the university found that adolescents who went to bed later and slept fewer hours during their childhood were more likely to have consumed alcohol or marijuana by the age of 15.

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The study, published in the journal Annals of Epidemiology, looked at data of 1,514 children from 20 cities across the U.S., focusing on sleep duration and bedtime in different developmental stages.

Parents involved in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, from where the data was obtained, recorded their children’s bedtimes at ages 3, 5 and 9, as well as sleep duration at 5 and 9.

The results showed that teens were 45% more likely to try alcohol by age 15 if they had a later bedtime at age 9. 

Bedtime at age 5, however, wasn’t associated with future alcohol use, nor was sleep duration at either age.

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Meanwhile, a later bedtime at age 5 was associated with a 26% increased likelihood of marijuana use by age 15. 

Sleeping an hour less at age 9 led to a 19% increased chance of trying marijuana during adolescence.

15-year-olds also reported their bedtime, sleep duration and substance use, which revealed that those with a later bedtime had a 39% increased chance of drinking alcohol and a 34% chance of trying marijuana.

Adolescents who slept one hour less increased their odds of trying alcohol by 28%, but there was no association with marijuana.

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In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, study co-author David A. Reichenberger, PhD — a researcher in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State — noted that the study only included participants who had complete data, "so that we could assess the effects across time within the same set of kids."

"Overall, the implications of our results suggest that sleep may play a crucial role in whether children engage in substance use as teens," he said. 

"By ensuring that children get adequate and high-quality sleep, we may protect long-term health and encourage positive health behaviors later in life," the researcher added.

Dr. Wendy Troxel, a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND Corporation in Park City, Utah, shared with Fox News Digital how this study adds to growing evidence that sleep problems may lead to "risky health behaviors" later in life.

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"These findings are consistent with my work conducted with my RAND colleagues, showing that poor sleep health in adolescence longitudinally predicts increases in alcohol and marijuana use in early adulthood," she said. 

"Importantly, this new data suggests that sleep problems even earlier in life can predict substance use during adolescence — a critical inflection point for the onset and exacerbation of drug and other alcohol use."

Sleep problems may increase the likelihood of substance use due to affected decision-making, impulse control and emotion regulation skills, according to Troxel.

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"Collectively, these findings point to the importance of addressing sleep problems using multi-level strategies, including family-based programs and public policies, such as later school start times, to promote sleep health in childhood and adolescence," she said.