Sleep Problems, Academic Performance and Substance Use among Adolescents

Sleep problems are a major public health issue in the U.S. An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems and about 30 million Americans have frequent or chronic insomnia (National Institute of Health, 2006). According to a national study, more than one half (56%) of 6th-12th graders got less sleep than they thought they needed to feel their best; 51% felt tired or sleepy during the day and 51% had difficulty falling asleep at least once in the last two weeks (National Sleep Foundation, 2006). This study examined the relationship among sleep problems, academic performance, and substance use among a group of adolescents. The study also tested whether self-regulation mediated the effect of sleep problems on academic performance and substance use. Sleep Problems and Academic Performance The association between sleep problems (e.g., insomnia, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness) and academic performance has been shown in studies with elementary school students (El-Sheikh, Buckhalt, Keller, Cummings, & Acebo, 2007), junior high and high school students (Chung & Cheung, 2008; Joo et al., 2005; Lazaratou, Dikeos, Anagnostopoulos, Sbokou, & Soldatos, 2005) and college students (Lack, 1986). In a group of 166 U.S. elementary school students, emotional security mediated the effect of marital conflict on the quality and duration of sleep, as indicated by actigraph data (note: actigraphs are instruments, usually in the form of a wrist watch, that measure activity level at wake time and sleep time) (El-Sheikh et al., 2007). Disruptions on the quality and duration of sleep in turn had a negative effect on academic, emotional, and behavioral performance (El-Sheikh et al., 2007). A study of 3871 11th graders in Korea showed that those with excessive daytime sleepiness were more likely than other students to report insufficient sleep and low school performance (Joo et al., 2005). Another study of 1629 Chinese adolescents aged 12-19 years found that students with poorer grades reported more daytime sleepiness, later bedtime, shorter sleep during school nights, and more delayed bedtime on weekends than students with better grades (Chung & Cheung, 2008). Insomnia was also related to lower academic performance in a group of 713 high school seniors in Greece (Lazaratou et al., 2005). In a sample of 211 freshmen in an Australian university, students with delayed sleep phase syndrome (i.e., those who fell asleep several hours after midnight and had difficulty waking up in the morning) reported daytime problems related to lack of sleep and performed academically worse than those without the syndrome (Lack, 1986). However, it is unclear what processes may mediate (explain) the relations between sleep problems and academic performance. Sleep Problems and Substance Use Sleep problems (primarily insomnia) are associated with alcohol and other substance use/abuse in adolescence in both cross sectional (Johnson & Breslau, 2001; Tynjala, Kannas, & Levalahti, 1997; Vignau et al., 1997) and longitudinal studies (Wong, Brower, Fitzgerald, & Zucker, 2004; Wong, Brower, Nigg, & Zucker, 2010; Wong, Brower, & Zucker, 2009). Several cross-sectional epidemiological studies indicate that sleep pattern irregularities and sleep problems are associated with increased alcohol, cigarette, and other drug use during adolescence (Johnson & Breslau, 2001; Tynjala et al., 1997; Vignau et al., 1997). In a study of 13,381 U.S. adolescents, Johnson and Breslau (2001) found a significant association between sleep problems and substance use, even after adjusting for internalizing or externalizing problems. Vignau et al. (1997) found that poor sleep predicted alcohol inebriation in 763 French adolescents, regardless of gender. However, in the same study, poor sleep predicted illicit drug use in boys only. Tynjala et al. (1997) reported that perceived tiredness was related to the use of psychoactive substances in 4187 Finnish adolescents. …