Sleep Deprivation Can Lead To Smoking, Drinking

Sleep Deprivation Sleep loss or disturbed sleep can heighten the risk for adolescents to take up smoking and drinking, two habits that may prove to be detrimental to their health, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

The study, conducted by Xianchen Liu, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, was based a questionnaire survey among 1,362 adolescents, with an average age of 14.6 years, in five high schools in China.

The self-administered questionnaire collected data on sleep patterns, sleep problems, smoking and drinking behavior, behavioral and emotional problems, life stress, and demographic characteristics of the adolescent and family.

The results showed that sleeping less than eight hours at night, frequent nightmares and difficulty initiating sleep were significantly associated with drinking.

Further, smoking was related to sleeping less than eight hours, bedtime later than midnight, nightmares, difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep and hypnotic medication use.

"These findings demonstrate significant associations between sleep quantity and sleep disturbances and smoking and drinking in Chinese adolescents," said Liu. "

Although prospective, longitudinal studies are warranted, these findings suggest a potential role of sleep intervention - that is, education in sleep hygiene and the treatment of sleep disturbances - in the prevention of adolescent substance use."

Sleep deprivation is a serious condition that can negatively impact your life. Sleep deprivation causes an immediate damage to the body. If sleep deprivation continues for a long time, it can cause some health problems such as aggravating heart disease.

Sleep deprivation also affects your performance by reducing cognitive ability that is the ability to think and use your brain. You have daytime drowsiness, which can increase the risk of accidents because you are less quick at thinking of a dangerous problem.

There are several effects of sleep depression which include depression, irritability, hypertension, heart disease, tremors and low concentration levels.

Even lifestyle choices can lead to sleep deprivation. If you drink caffeine before going to bed, it can cause sleep deprivation. Shift works can alter your normal sleep patterns and disturb your sleep.

Many people also use alcohol as a sleep aid. People who are sleep deprived used alcohol to help them fall asleep. Alcohol increases non-REM sleep and reduces REM sleep during first portion of the night. But, in the middle of the night, alcohol is withdrawn resulting in multiple awakenings.

Therefore, alcohol may be effective in sleep induction but impairs sleep during second half of the night leading to reduction in overall sleep time.

People with sleep deprivation show irritability, mood changes and anger. As there is lack of sleep, they will be habituated to smoking and drinking alcohol.

People who can’t sleep when they go to bed start to drink cigarette or alcohol. They spend hours sleepless, which increase drinking alcohol and cigarettes.

To prevent sleep deprivation, a person needs seven to eight hours sleep daily. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is important.

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