More than one in five young adults said they use cannabis or alcohol to help them fall asleep.
Recent research from the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Panel Study, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that 22% of U.S. young adults between the ages of 19 and 30 use cannabis, alcohol, or both to help them fall asleep.
Cannabis emerged as the more common choice for sleep aid compared to alcohol. About 18% of respondents reported using cannabis for sleep, while 7% said they used alcohol for that purpose. Among those who had consumed cannabis within the past year, 41% said they specifically used it to help initiate sleep.
“Using these substances to get to sleep can backfire because they can interfere with the ability to stay asleep and with the quality of sleep,” said Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the MTF Panel Study. “They appear to actually disrupt sleep in the long term. The fact that so many young adults reported that they use cannabis to sleep is alarming.”
Gender and Racial Differences
Published in JAMA Pediatrics, the study analyzed data from 1,473 young U.S. adults and found gender and racial disparities in the use of these substances to sleep:
- Women were nearly twice as likely as men to use cannabis to help them get to sleep.
- Participants identifying as another gender were more than four times as likely as men to do so.
- Black young adults were three times as likely as white peers to use alcohol for sleep.
“Long-term, regular use of these substances to get to sleep may lead to worse sleep problems and increased risk for substance use disorder,” Patrick said. “For example, frequently using a substance to get to sleep may lead to tolerance, or needing more of it to get the same effect. In other words, rather than resulting in better sleep, it may lead to additional sleep problems and escalating substance use.”
The research is one of the first national examinations of how and why young adults use substances to manage sleep. The MTF Panel Study annually tracks substance use trends among nationally representative samples of U.S. students followed into adulthood.
The Misconception of ‘Sleep Help’
“Unfortunately, there is a misconception that substance use can be helpful for sleep problems, but it can make things worse,” Patrick said. “High-quality sleep is critical for mental health and regulating mood. Young adults told us that they are using cannabis to try to get to sleep, but doing so may make their sleep problems even worse. They need to know the potential risks.”
Given the high co-occurrence of substance use and sleep problems in young adults, clinicians should be aware of this issue. The findings emphasize the necessity of effective, integrated screening and interventions.
“Health care providers should understand how common both sleep problems and substance use are during young adulthood,” Patrick said. “And that many young adults are using cannabis specifically to get to sleep. People who are trying to manage sleep problems should talk to their doctors or other providers.”
Reference: “Cannabis and Alcohol Use to Initiate Sleep Among Young Adults” by Megan E. Patrick, Yuk C. Pang and Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, 13 October 2025, JAMA Pediatrics.
DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.3642
Funding: National Institute on Drug Abuse
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4 Comments
The key is not to use it every night. I do a 10 mg gummy every 3 nights, works great, especially when boosted with 50 mg of CBN. But not good long term if used every night, or even every other night.
I guess they just prefer pharmaceutical sleep aids, instead of some herb.
Of course, the real issue is why they are having trouble sleeping. And one cause is from the light from their phones as watch YT videos of how to fall asleep.
Of that percentage of the population that relies on some kind of drug to fall asleep…how many are naturally night owls being forced to go against their own bodies in order to fit into a society run by early risers? How about creating a more night owl-friendly society so people can friggin sleep without taking drugs? Hmmmmmm????
And night owls are not the minority. There are equal numbers of night owls and early risers. From what I’ve read in articles in the past, humans are divided pretty evenly into thirds…early risers, night owls, and people who are neither/normal. It’s the night owls who are getting royally screwed over and it’s not fair. Being sleep deprived affects all aspects of a person’s health and life.
When you go to bed, wear an eye mask and block out all the light. No drugs needed.