“Treating problems with drugs and alcohol once they exist and preventing them can be challenging, and we are always looking for modifiable risk factors,” says Brant P. Hasler, assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. “Doing what we can to ensure sufficient sleep duration and improve sleep quality during late childhood may have benefits in terms of reducing the use of these substances later in life.”
...both sleep duration and sleep quality at age 11 were associated with early substance use throughout adolescence.
The study participants who slept the least, compared to the participants who slept the most, were more likely to report earlier use, intoxication, and repeated use of both alcohol and cannabis. Every hour less of sleep at age 11 was associated with a 20 percent acceleration to the first use of alcohol and/or cannabis.
Worse sleep quality was associated with earlier alcohol use, intoxication, and repeated use. Worse sleep quality was also associated with earlier cannabis intoxication and repeated use, but not first use.