Teenagers who suffer from insomnia could be more susceptible to binge drinking issues that can impact them later on in life, according to a new study.
Research published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research shows that children aged between 14 and 16 who have trouble dropping off are 47% more likely to binge drink than teens who get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep per night.
Worryingly, five years later, when the 6,500 study subjects were all of college age, the volunteers who had trouble sleeping as teens were 10% more likely to drive a car while drunk as adults.
Commenting on the eye-opening study, lead researcher Dr.Maida Chen, director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said: “This new research shows what we have long suspected — there seems to be a link between lack of sleep and risky behaviours in teenager.”
