Adequate sleep moderates the prospective association between alcohol use and consequences

Abstract

Objective Inadequate sleep and heavy alcohol use have been associated with negative outcomes among college students; however, few studies have examined the interactive effects of sleep and drinking quantity in predicting alcohol-related consequences. This study aimed to determine if adequate sleep moderates the prospective association between weekly drinking quantity and consequences. Method College students (N = 568) who were mandated to an alcohol prevention intervention reported drinks consumed per week, typical sleep quantity (calculated from sleep/wake times), and perceptions of sleep adequacy as part of a larger research trial. Assessments were completed at baseline and one-, three-, and five-month follow-ups. Results Higher baseline quantities of weekly drinking and inadequate sleep predicted alcohol-related consequences at baseline and one-month follow-up. Significant interactions emerged between baseline weekly drinking quantity and adequate sleep in the prediction of alcohol-related consequences at baseline, one-, three-, and five-month assessments. Simple slopes analyses revealed that weekly drinking quantity was positively associated with alcohol-related consequences for those reporting both adequate and inadequate sleep, but this association was consistently stronger among those who reported inadequate sleep. Conclusion Subjective evaluation of sleep adequacy moderates both the concurrent and prospective associations between weekly drinking quantity and consequences, such that heavy-drinking college students reporting inadequate sleep experience more consequences as a result of drinking. Research needs to examine the mechanism(s) by which inadequate sleep affects alcohol risk among young adults.

Insomnia moderates the association between alcohol use and consequences among young adult veterans

“…Consistent with cross-sectional and longitudinal findings in college students (Kenney et al, 2012; Miller, DiBello, et al, 2016), drinking quantity was associated with more alcohol-related consequences in the context of clinically significant symptoms of insomnia. Moreover, this moderation effect was observed independent of other established predictors of alcohol consequences, such as age, PTSD, and depression.…”

“…Consistent with research among college students (Kenney et al, 2012; Miller, DiBello, et al, 2016), we hypothesized that insomnia would moderate the association between alcohol use and consequences, such that drinking quantity would be associated with more alcohol-related consequences in the context of insomnia. To isolate the contribution of insomnia to alcohol use outcomes, we controlled for symptoms of depression and PTSD, which have been associated with alcohol use in this population (Fuehrlein et al, 2014; Williams et al, 2015).…”

“…While the association between sleep parameters and hazardous alcohol use has now been well-established in young adult samples (Kenney et al, 2012; Luxton et al, 2011; Miller, DiBello, et al, 2016; Swinkels et al, 2013), the mechanism(s) underlying this association are unclear. Poor sleep health has been linked to impairments in executive functioning (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007; Benitez & Gunstad, 2012) and negative mood (Harvey, 2011).…”

“…While the precise mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear, evidence suggests that chronic sleep restriction (which is functionally similar to the sleep patterns of individuals with insomnia) leads to deficits in attention and working memory (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007; Benitez & Gunstad, 2012; Fortier-Brochu & Morin, 2014), which may then lead to a greater propensity for poor decision-making and increased risk of alcohol problems. In support of this hypothesis, the combination of alcohol use and poor sleep quality has been associated with elevations in alcohol-related problems among college students who drink (Kenney, LaBrie, Hummer, & Pham, 2012; Miller, DiBello, Lust, Carey, & Carey, 2016). …”

The impact of sleep and psychiatric symptoms on alcohol consequences among young adults

“…Poor sleep quality, in particular, has been found to moderate the association between alcohol use and related consequences, such that college students reporting worse subjective sleep quality experience more consequences as a result of alcohol consumption (Kenney, LaBrie, Hummer, & Pham, 2012; Miller, DiBello, Lust, Carey, & Carey, 2016). This association occurs not only concurrently but also prospectively, with worse sleep quality predicting more alcohol-related consequences over a five-month period (Miller et al, 2016). Trouble falling/staying asleep at 16–17 years has also been associated with greater alcohol-related problems at ages 21–22 (Wong, Robertson, & Dyson, 2015).…”