Sleep-deprived children are more likely grow up to be
teenagers who abuse drugs and alcohol, according to a new study from Idaho State University.
- Professor Maria Wong kept track of 386 children from the time they were three years old until they reached their early 20s.
- Children who had trouble sleeping were more likely to use illegal drugs like marijuana, heroin, and cocaine as young adults.
- These individuals were also at increased risk for binge drinking and blackouts.
"The bottom line is that sleep is important," said Tim Roehrs, director of research at the Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit. "Even if it is not causal for these relations, improving sleep will modify and minimize the risks. In the addicted adult, at least the alcoholic, sleep problems that remain after the initial acute withdrawal are predictive of relapse."
The Idaho study appeared in the journal
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Labels: sleep deprivation, drug-abuse, alcohol abuse
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
