Alarming trend: Young adults are using cannabis as sleep aid

Researchers in a recent study have identified alarming trends among adults who increasingly rely on substances as sleep aids.

According to data from the University of Michigan's annual Monitoring the Future Panel Study, 22 percent of Americans between the age of 19 and 30 used different substances, such as cannabis, alcohol or both to fall asleep.

The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that among all substances, cannabis is the most popular choice among adults as 18.3 percent of individuals use it for sleep compared to 7.2 percent who used alcohol.

Around 41 percent of respondents cited that cannabis helped them to sleep properly.

Compared to men, women are more likely to consume cannabis for sleeping purposes.

Harmful substances: Disruptors of quality sleep

Given the cannabis growing use among adults, researchers also warn that its use can disrupt quality sleep.

Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the MTF Panel Study, said “Using these substances to get to sleep can backfire because they can interfere with the ability to stay asleep and with the quality of sleep.”

“They appear to actually disrupt sleep in the long term. The fact that so many young adults reported that they use cannabis to sleep is alarming,” she added.

Besides worsening sleep quality, the substance use also poses long-term risks to health, including “rebound insomnia.”

Patrick also cleared the prevailing misconception about the helpful role of substance in improving sleeping patterns.

She emphasized, "Unfortunately, there is a misconception that substance use can be helpful for sleep problems, but it can make things worse.”

“Young adults told us that they are using cannabis to try to get to sleep, but doing so may make their sleep problems even worse. They need to know the potential risks,” she added.