Trouble sleeping had opposite effects on cannabis use at daily vs. person levels in youth
Youth who generally had more sleep trouble used more cannabis overall, but on specific nights of poor sleep, they were actually less likely to use cannabis the next day, revealing opposite patterns at the person vs. day level.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
At the person level, trouble sleeping was associated with higher cannabis craving and negative affect (large effects, rs 0.34-0.48). Paradoxically, at the day level, more trouble sleeping was associated with lower likelihood of cannabis use the next day (beta=-0.65, p<0.001). Trouble sleeping was not indirectly linked to cannabis through negative affect, risk-taking, or craving.
Key Numbers
86 participants (ages 15-24, 48.8% female, 58.8% White). Person-level correlations: 0.34-0.48 for sleep-craving and sleep-negative affect. Day-level: beta=-0.65 (p<0.001) for sleep trouble predicting less next-day use.
How They Did This
Ecological momentary assessment study of 86 youth ages 15-24 who regularly used cannabis, surveyed over 1 week before an intervention. Multilevel structural equation modeling evaluated day-level and person-level associations.
Why This Research Matters
Many cannabis users report using for sleep, but the daily-level finding that poor sleep actually decreases next-day use suggests the relationship is more complex than simple self-medication. This has implications for how sleep is addressed in cannabis treatment.
The Bigger Picture
The disconnect between person-level and day-level findings is a methodological cautionary tale. People who sleep badly may use more cannabis overall, but the daily mechanism is not straightforward self-medication. Fatigue from a bad night may actually reduce motivation or opportunity to use.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample from an intervention study. Only 1 week of EMA data. Self-reported trouble sleeping, not objective sleep measurement. Cannot determine causation. Regular cannabis users only.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does the day-level reduction in use after poor sleep reflect fatigue or recovery behavior?
- ?Would longer EMA periods reveal different patterns?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Opposite effects at person vs. day level
- Evidence Grade:
- EMA design captures real-time data with multilevel modeling, but small sample, short duration, and pre-intervention context limit generalizability.
- Study Age:
- 2024 EMA study of youth ages 15-24
- Original Title:
- A test of competing mediators linking trouble sleeping to cannabis use in adolescents and emerging adults.
- Published In:
- Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 32(3), 316-328 (2024)
- Authors:
- Berey, Benjamin L(3), Meisel, Samuel, Pielech, Melissa, Parnes, Jamie E, Treloar Padovano, Hayley, Miranda, Robert
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05132
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Do people use more cannabis when they sleep badly?
It depends on the level of analysis. People who generally have sleep problems used more cannabis overall, but on specific nights of poor sleep, youth were actually less likely to use cannabis the next day.
Does cannabis craving explain the sleep-use link?
Surprisingly, no. The study tested whether craving, negative affect, or risk-taking mediated the sleep-cannabis relationship at the daily level, and none of these pathways were significant.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05132APA
Berey, Benjamin L; Meisel, Samuel; Pielech, Melissa; Parnes, Jamie E; Treloar Padovano, Hayley; Miranda, Robert. (2024). A test of competing mediators linking trouble sleeping to cannabis use in adolescents and emerging adults.. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 32(3), 316-328. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000693
MLA
Berey, Benjamin L, et al. "A test of competing mediators linking trouble sleeping to cannabis use in adolescents and emerging adults.." Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000693
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "A test of competing mediators linking trouble sleeping to ca..." RTHC-05132. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/berey-2024-a-test-of-competing
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.