A recent study from Penn State University on the effects of poor sleep in childhood has revealed some crucial connections on its impact to drug and alcohol use. The study utilized data from 1,514 children involved in the Future Families and Child Well Being Study from 20 cities across the United States. The study had parents report their children’s regular bedtimes at ages 3, 5, and 9, as well as the duration of their sleep. Researchers found that 45 percent of those children with later bedtimes at age 9 were more likely to try alcohol at age 15 than their peers with earlier bedtimes. There was no correlation found between later bedtimes and ages 3 and five percent of children with later bedtimes at age 5 had greater odds of trying marijuana by age 15 while 19 percent of children at age 9 with later bedtimes had greater odds. Researchers also took self-reported data from 15-year-olds on their sleep and drug habits. The study found that teens with later bedtimes had a 39 percent greater chance of drinking alcohol and a 34 percent greater chance of trying marijuana. One hour less sleep also impacted greater chance of alcohol use by 28 percent, without any noted correlation on marijuana use.

Study co-author David A. Reichenberger, PhD spoke with Fox News on the implications of the study. “By ensuring that children get adequate and high-quality sleep, we may protect long-term health and encourage positive health behaviors later in life,” he said. Dr. Wendy Troxel of the Rand Corporation noted the research supports her own. “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.”

Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, who was also a senior author of the paper, noted how the data could be used to make proper interventions for youth. “The study suggests that there might be some critical ages when sleep can be a target for intervention. If we improve sleep in the school-age population, not only could that show improvements in sleep health but in other aspects like the decision to engage in risky behaviors like alcohol and other substance use,” she said. David Reichenberger, co-lead author, stated poor sleep can be linked to poor decision making, which may explain why children and teens with less sleep would choose to engage in risky behaviors. “Sleep at ages closer to adolescence is the most crucial in terms of future substance use risk. It’s that stage of development when children are rapidly changing and their brain is maturing,” he said. Researchers suggested that parents make sure their children are going to bed at an age-appropriate time and be placed in a space that is conducive for sleep. Troxel stated there could also be changes made on the policy level to promote better sleep. “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.”