College students’ using marijuana to sleep relates to frequency, problematic use, and sleep problems

Abstract

Objective

Given the rising rates of insufficient sleep and the popularity of marijuana, we investigated using marijuana as a sleep aid, marijuana use frequency, problematic marijuana use, and sleep problems. Participants: Participants included a convenience sample of college students who endorsed using marijuana in the past year from May to December 2013 (N = 354; 68% female, 57% White). Methods: Path analyses investigated if using marijuana to sleep predicted: (1) marijuana use outcomes and (2) sleep problems; and if sleep problems predicted marijuana use outcomes. Results: Using marijuana to sleep was related to increased use and problematic use, as well as worse sleep efficiency. Daytime dysfunction related to sleepiness was associated with elevated levels of marijuana use and problematic use. Similar associations were found across sex and race. Conclusions: College students should be informed of the potential misconceptions between marijuana and improved sleep and provided with evidence-based alternatives to improve their sleep.

Keywords:

• Cannabis
• college students
• marijuana
• problematic use
• sleep

Acknowledgments

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors extend their appreciation to the participating college students.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers DA07272 and R01DA041425.