Children exposed to cannabis before birth had more sleep problems at ages 9-10
In a large study of nearly 12,000 children, prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with multiple sleep disturbances at ages 9-10, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Any prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, disorders of arousal, sleep-wake disorders, disorders of excessive somnolence, and a summed sleep disorder score (all p<0.03). Daily prenatal cannabis use was specifically associated with excessive daytime sleepiness (beta=0.29, p=0.03). All associations controlled for other prenatal substance exposures and demographic factors.
Key Numbers
11,875 children studied. Prenatal cannabis exposure associated with multiple sleep disorder categories (all beta>0.10, p<0.03). Daily prenatal cannabis use associated with excessive somnolence (beta=0.29, p=0.03).
How They Did This
Analysis of 11,875 children ages 9-10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Maternal reports of prenatal cannabis use. Child sleep outcomes assessed by parent report. Controlled for prenatal exposure to other substances, maternal education, income, marital status, race, child sex, and age.
Why This Research Matters
Sleep disturbances in childhood affect cognitive development, behavior, and health. If prenatal cannabis exposure contributes to persistent sleep problems, it adds urgency to counseling pregnant individuals about cannabis use.
The Bigger Picture
Cannabis use during pregnancy is increasing as perceptions of harm decrease. Long-lasting effects on offspring sleep add to a growing list of potential consequences that should inform prenatal counseling.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional analysis within a longitudinal study cannot establish causation. Maternal cannabis use was retrospectively self-reported, subject to recall bias. Sleep outcomes were parent-reported, not objectively measured. Residual confounding possible despite controlling for multiple factors.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are these sleep effects mediated by changes in endocannabinoid system development?
- ?Do sleep disturbances from prenatal exposure improve or worsen as children age?
- ?Would objective sleep measurements (polysomnography) confirm parent-reported findings?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Prenatal cannabis linked to sleep problems in 9-10 year olds (n=11,875)
- Evidence Grade:
- Large well-controlled epidemiological study, but cross-sectional analysis with self-reported exposures and outcomes.
- Study Age:
- 2020 study using ABCD Study data. Adds sleep to the list of potential long-term effects of prenatal cannabis exposure.
- Original Title:
- Prenatal cannabis exposure and sleep outcomes in children 9-10 years of age in the adolescent brain cognitive development SM study.
- Published In:
- Sleep health, 6(6), 787-789 (2020)
- Authors:
- Winiger, Evan A(2), Hewitt, John K(8)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02919
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What types of sleep problems were found?
Children with prenatal cannabis exposure had more difficulty falling and staying asleep, more arousal disorders, more sleep-wake transition issues, and more excessive daytime sleepiness compared to unexposed children.
Could other factors explain these sleep problems?
The researchers controlled for prenatal exposure to other substances (alcohol, tobacco), maternal education, income, marital status, race, child sex, and age. The associations persisted after accounting for these factors.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02919APA
Winiger, Evan A; Hewitt, John K. (2020). Prenatal cannabis exposure and sleep outcomes in children 9-10 years of age in the adolescent brain cognitive development SM study.. Sleep health, 6(6), 787-789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.05.006
MLA
Winiger, Evan A, et al. "Prenatal cannabis exposure and sleep outcomes in children 9-10 years of age in the adolescent brain cognitive development SM study.." Sleep health, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.05.006
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Prenatal cannabis exposure and sleep outcomes in children 9-..." RTHC-02919. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/winiger-2020-prenatal-cannabis-exposure-and
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.