Further, “Among college students, individuals reporting poor sleep quality tend to drink more frequently and excessively, experience more alcohol-related negative consequences, and may be at risk for alcohol dependence.”

Indeed, another study published in Sleep, from Oxford University Press, examined “whether differences exist in self-reported sleep patterns and self-reported alcohol use for first-semester college students who do or do not report drinking during the last 6 months of high school.”

The results were clear: “Increased alcohol consumption in the first semester of college was associated with later bedtimes and rise times. We found no association of high school alcohol use and sleep in those with collegiate [heavy episodic drinking episodes].”

So what can this mean for parents, college administrators and even students as they seek to enhance sober living at college?

• “The JACH authors write that “given the prevalence of sleep problems in college student populations, these findings are potentially valuable for college personnel interested in reducing harms associated with student drinking.”
• “In the current study, not only were sleep problems common (53.8% reported poor quality sleep), but poor sleep predicted greater experience of alcohol-related consequences, over and above established predictors of alcohol risk.”
• “These findings thus provide strong support for the need for alcohol prevention interventions that include a sleep component in order to address these co-occurring risk behaviors simultaneously.”
• “From a treatment perspective, there is evidence that improvement in sleep problems is associated with abstaining or reducing drinking among individuals diagnosed with co-occurring sleep and alcohol use disorders.”