PITTSBURGH, June 14 (UPI) -- Sleep loss or disturbed sleep can increase the risk of adolescents taking up smoking and drinking, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.
Dr. Xianchen Liu surveyed 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.
Sleeping less than eight hours at night, frequent nightmares and difficulty initiating sleep were significantly associated with drinking, according to the findings presented at Sleep 2007, the 21st annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Minneapolis.
In addition, smoking was related to sleeping less than eight hours, a 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," Liu said in a statement.
