Annals of Epidemiology: Poor sleep in childhood increases likelihood of alcohol, marijuana use in adolescence by 45%

A good night's sleep is essential for children's health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use, reports ScienceDaily.

A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology.

The research team explored childhood sleep at different developmental stages within the same sample of children to see if there's an impact on later substance use, which few studies have investigated.

They focused on two different facets of sleep health—total duration of sleep and time of sleep or bedtime. The researchers explained that if children, especially school-aged children, go to bed later, it could affect their ability to sleep well.

The study drew on data from 1,514 children in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a diverse longitudinal birth cohort of children from 20 cities across the United States. Parents reported their child's regular weekday bedtime at ages three, five, and nine.

When the research team evaluated the relationship between childhood bedtime and sleep duration with future alcohol and marijuana use as teens, they found a longitudinal association. Teens were 45% more likely to try alcohol by age 15 if they had a later bedtime at age nine when compared to other children with earlier bedtimes at age nine.

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