Sleep disturbances predict substance use among college athletes
Results show that student athletes with sleep difficulties were 151 percent more likely to use cigarettes, 36 percent more likely to drink alcohol, and 66 percent more likely to smoke marijuana. Sleep difficulties also predict an increased use of controlled, illegal, and banned substances. For example, student athletes with sleep difficulties were 317 percent more likely to use methamphetamine , 349 percent more likely to use cocaine, and 175 percent more likely to use steroids. "The most surprising thing was the consistency with which sleep difficulties among student athletes predict increased use of many substances, including substances that are illegal and banned," said senior author Michael Grander, PhD, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "Across the board, students with sleep difficulties were more likely to smoke, drink, and use illegal substances." The study involved an analysis of survey data compl...