Research coming out of Idaho State University in thje U.S. has examined the interaction between sleep problems in children and the age at which young people started taking drugs.
The study had 292 boys and 94 girls from a community sample of high risk families and controls in an ongoing longitudinal study.
It found that sleep problems (as rated by parents) at ages 3-8 predicted early onset of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among boys and early onset of alcohol use among girls.
The study did not discuss whether sleep problems led to problematic drug use, although other studies have found that the earlier you start using, the more likely you are to develop problems.
It also did not explore why or how the relationship between childhood sleep problems and adolescent substance use occurs. Neurological, cognitive, or emotional processes are suggested as possible explainations. These processes may include deficits in self-regulation, lower levels of executive functioning, increase in subjective distress, impulsive decision making and using substances as a sleep aid
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