Over 20% of young adults report using cannabis or alcohol to help fall asleep. The corresponding study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
"Unfortunately, there is a misconception that substance use can be helpful for sleep problems, but it can make things worse,” said principal investigator of the study, Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in a press release.
“High-quality sleep is critical for mental health and regulating mood. Young adults told us that they are using cannabis to try to get to sleep, but doing so may make their sleep problems even worse. They need to know the potential risks,” she added.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 1, 473 young adults aged 19 to 30 years old in the US. Ultimately, they found 22% of participants reported using cannabis and/ or alcohol to fall asleep. Whereas 18% claimed to use cannabis as a sleep aid, 7% of participants reported using alcohol for the same purpose. Among those who used cannabis in the last year, 41% reported doing so to go to sleep.
The researchers additionally found that women are almost twice as likely as men to use cannabis as a sleeping aid. They further found that participants who identify as another gender were over four times more likely than men to use cannabis to get to sleep. Meanwhile, young black adults were three times more likely than their white counterparts to use alcohol to fall asleep.
"Health care providers should understand how common both sleep problems and substance use are during young adulthood. And that many young adults are using cannabis specifically to get to sleep. People who are trying to manage sleep problems should talk to their doctors or other providers,” said Patrick.
Sources: EurekAlert, JAMA Pediatrics