Study: Sleeplessness in teens linked to onset of alcohol and drug use

By Staff Writer

A recent study at Idaho State University shows a correlation between teens who cannot sleep and the use of drugs and alcohol.

Young children between the ages of five and seven years who claimed to have trouble sleeping experienced problems inhibiting impulses and behavior in their adolescent years, and had higher chances of drug use, one researcher said.

Previous studies have shown that childhood sleep problems were a risk factor for alcohol and drug use. However, one of the researchers from Idaho State found that alcohol problems may be detectable "very early in the life course." Findings indicate that teenage boys who suffer from insomnia are more likely than their female counterparts to start using alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

Furthermore, reports indicate that the number of instances of insomnia among teens is rising, and this trend could lead to increased academic underachievement, mood swings as well as drug and alcohol use in this age group. Some therapeutic boarding schools cater to those who have troubling sleeping and can help teens overcome the academic, social or behavioral problems associated with insomnia.

In 2006, approximately 8 percent of drug and alcohol admissions to medical facilities in the U.S. involved teens 17 years of age or younger, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.