When it comes to bedtime, kids are the ultimate debaters. While resisting their negotiations can be rough, newly published research may inspire parents to hold their ground. A study featured in the latest Annals of Epidemiology suggests that kids who went to bed earlier and slept longer between their toddler and elementary years were less apt to smoke weed before they turned 15.
RELATED: Gentle parenting and cannabis: a match made in heaven
Researchers investigated cross-sectional associations between what kind of sleep kids got on weeknights and adolescent cannabis use. They used data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which includes self-reported information from diverse families across 20 cities with populations over 200,000.
Parents reported their children’s bedtimes at ages three, five, and nine, adding sleep duration to reportage at the latter two ages. When the kids reached age 15, they self-reported bedtimes, sleep duration, alcohol, and cannabis use.
This dataset showed that 15-year-olds with a later bedtime who sleep less were more likely to have tried alcohol more than once. A later bedtime at this age correlated to “greater odds of trying marijuana.”
Kids who went to bed later at age three were less apt to drink alcohol by 15. That was the opposite with nine-year-olds, who did show a correlation between later bedtimes and earlier alcohol consumption. Later bedtimes and shorter sleep at age five led to trying cannabis by 15.
This information shows that getting to bed early and enjoying lasting rest could deter a child from trying cannabis and alcohol before their brains are fully developed. There are limitations here, like self-reporting, which can be flawed or untrue. Study authors also received funding worth mentioning.
RELATED: Weed may help or hurt your gut– it depends on one thing
One study author received funds from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institutes of Health. David A. Reichenberger had support from the Prevention and Methodology Training Program and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Multiple authors were granted an honorarium to speak on an expert consensus panel for the National Sleep Foundation. Lastly, Orfeu M. Buxton saw grants from SleepSpace and earned travel and honoraria from lecturing at Boston University, Boston College, and Tufts School of Dental Medicine.
This research gives parents room for thought even with these contributions and limitations. While cannabis consumption is a beautiful thing for medical patients and curious adults, many would prefer their kids wait to try it until their brains are fully developed. Those who are hoping their children hold off on pot and booze until adulthood may want to put their energy into bedtime.
