Short sleep, mental health problems predict long-term insomnia

Mental health problems and getting less than six hours of sleep play key roles in the persistence of insomnia. A study in the January edition of SLEEP found these risk factors in people experiencing insomnia for at least 7½ years. Smoking, caffeine and alcohol consumption, and sleep apnea did not predict persistent insomnia.

The study looked at 1,395 random subjects who reported having insomnia 7½ years earlier. Researchers found that 44 percent of them still had insomnia. Nearly a third (30 percent) were sleeping poorly but 26 percent were sleeping normally again. Those who still had insomnia had strong links to mental health problems and short periods of sleep. Depression was the most common mental health problem reported.

Researchers concluded that addressing mental health issues should be a priority in cases of chronic insomnia. They also suggested that people sleeping less than six hours were strong candidates for chronic insomnia. The study was done by Pennsylvania State University, and the universities of Athens and Crete, both in Greece.

Read more about insomnia due to medical condition, alcohol or drugs or mental disorders.

Learning from Lindsay Lohan, Follow Doctors' Orders for Sleeping Pills

Former teen starlet turned jailbird Lindsay Lohan reportedly was asking for trouble by combining Ambien and several other drugs. A report by the tabloid TMZ claims the troubled actress’s medicine cabinet contained Zolpidem, Adderall and Dilaudid, a potentially dangerous combination. Although CBS News was unable to verify it, the Lohan’s story is an opportunity to talk about responsible use of sleeping pills.

For Lohan, the consequences could have been a lot worse than a 90-day prison sentence. CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. John Lapook reports combining Dilaudid and Ambien can depress your breathing and cause oxygen in your blood to become dangerously low.

Other potential drug combinations may be a recipe for trouble. Although probation has prevented Lohan from drinking or using illegal recreational drugs, it’s anyone’s guess what she may have been doing before had to wear a monitoring bracelet and take drug tests regularly.

Sleeping pills should never be taken with alcohol. That combination may result in a visit to the emergency room. Other drugs, especially those with depressant effects may lead to similar serious health problems.

The AASM reports Ambien is a safe short-term solution to insomnia… if you closely follow doctors’ orders. Strange episodes of sleep walking, sleep driving or even sleep sex can occur when the drug isn’t used as directed.

Cognitive behavioral therapy may be a better choice for long-term or chronic cases of insomnia.

Pregnant smoking linked to childhood sleep problems

A new study gives soon-to-be moms another reason to butt out. Doctors across several U.S. cities combined efforts to look at how using various substances during pregnancy affected children’s sleep.

Alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and opiates had no noticeable effects, but pregnant mothers who used nicotine products tended to have children with sleep problems.

Researchers regularly checked up on a group of 808 children throughout the first 12 years of their lives.

The authors did not reveal the exact percentage of children with sleep problems. Instead of counting the number of individuals who had sleep problems they created a scoring system to account for the combined conditions, including insomnia, sleepwalking, sleep talking.

After adjusting for external factors, like socioeconomic status, the authors discovered children exposed to nicotine scored highest. Children whose mothers smoked tended to have sleep problems from birth all the way to their 12th birthday.

One of the authors of the study told Reuters Health the findings should not be misinterpreted, all prenatal substance abuse is harmful. Smoking is unique because it happens so frequently.

She said researchers couldn’t find out the exact effects of nicotine during pregnancy because many of the mothers in the study used multiple substances while pregnant.

Perhaps not coincidentally, a past study found young boys with sleep problems were more likely to start smoking at an early age.


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Social Networks: Teen Drug Use & Sleep Loss

A new study examined the relationship between sleep loss and marijuana use among teens and their friends.

The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The researchers mapped the social networks of 8,349 teens. The students filled out questionnaires. They also named up to five male and five female friends in their social network.

Students had an average age of 16 years at the start of the study. They reported that they usually got an average of 7.8 hours of sleep per night.

Results show that a teen was 11 percent more likely to report sleeping seven hours or less if a friend usually slept for seven hours or less. This effect increased to 20 percent when the friendship was mutual.

Further analyses found that a teen was 19 percent more likely to use marijuana if a friend usually slept for seven hours or less. Twenty percent of this effect came from the spread of sleep behavior from one person to another.

This effect was additive. The rate of marijuana use increased with each additional friend who was a short sleeper.

"The evidence suggests that poor sleep leads to drug use in adolescents, and that both sleep and drug use spread through social networks,” the authors concluded.

They suggested that poor sleep may promote drug use by affecting how teens make decisions. Poor sleep in teens has been shown to reduce impulse control. They also wrote that poor sleep may affect teen alcohol use in similar ways.

The NIDA reports that marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. A recent survey found that 42 percent of 12th-graders had tried marijuana at least once. Eighteen percent of 12th graders and 14 percent of 10th graders had used it within the past month.

Last year a study found that childhood sleep problems were more likely to predict early onset of substance use in boys than girls. Sleep problems between 3 and 8 years of age predicted the onset of alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use among boys.

Get help for your teen’s sleep problems at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you. Get Facts Parents Need to Know and Facts for Teens about marijuana from the NIDA.

Read more about sleep and teens.

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Child Sleep Problems & Early Substance Use

Are children with sleep problems more likely to begin drinking, smoking or using drugs? A new study provides some insight.

The ongoing, longitudinal study involved children selected from a community sample of “high-risk” families; 292 boys and 94 girls participated.

Results show a gender difference; childhood sleep problems were more likely to predict early onset of substance use in boys than girls.

Sleep problems between 3 and 8 years of age predicted the onset of alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use among boys; in girls the only link was between sleep problems and the onset of alcohol use.

The authors conclude that parents should pay close attention to sleep problems in children and teens. Helping children sleep better can improve their health and behavior.

Sleep problems in children are common; about 25 percent of all children have some type of sleep problem at some point during childhood.

How common is substance use by children?

The NIAAA states that 34 percent of 8th-grade students reported drinking in the past year. A recent survey showed that more girls than boys between 12 and 17 years of age reported drinking alcohol.

A 2008 survey found that 6.8 percent of 8th-graders reported using cigarettes in the previous month. According to the NIDA, tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the U.S.

The NIDA also reports that marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. A recent survey found that 15.7 percent of 8th-graders have tried marijuana at least once.

Get help for your child’s sleep problems at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you. The Cool Spot is an NIAAA Web that provides facts about alcohol for young teens.

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Michael Jackson’s Death & Prescription Drug Abuse

Soon after Michael Jackson’s death questions arose about his possible abuse of prescription drugs. Five days later those questions remain. Investigators recently took more medications from the rented house where Jackson collapsed.

The controversy has focused attention on the nationwide problem of prescription drug abuse. The risk of addiction extends far beyond the rich and famous.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that millions of people in the U.S. abuse prescription drugs each year. The NIDA estimates that 48 million people have abused or misused prescription drugs in their lifetime.

Which drugs are most likely to be abused? The NIDA warns that three classes of drugs carry the greatest risk.

Opioids are commonly abused. These drugs are used to treat pain. Examples include morphine, codeine, OxyContin, Vicodin and Demerol.

Stimulants also may be abused. These drugs are used for problems such as narcolepsy. Examples include dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate.

Central nervous system depressants also are commonly abused. This class of drugs includes barbiturates such as Nembutal. It also includes benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax.

Some benzodiazepines are used to treat insomnia. Examples include Dalmane, Doral, Halcion, Prosom and Restoril.

But newer “nonbenzodiazepines” have a lower risk of addiction. Examples include Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata.

Another low-risk sleep aid is ramelteon. It is marketed as Rozerem. This drug is a melatonin receptor agonist. It targets the part of the brain that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

The AASM offers these Guidelines for Taking Sleep Medications. Contact your doctor or pharmacist if you have any other questions about taking sleeping pills. You also should ask your doctor about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. It is a safe and effective treatment option.

The NIDA reports that drug addiction is a brain disease that can be treated effectively. Treatments include detoxification, counseling and drug therapy.

To get help call 1-800-662-HELP or go online to http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/.

Learn more about prescription drug abuse on SleepEducation.com.

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