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OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: College students are at an increased risk for poor sleep and associated sleep problems. Emerging evidence suggests that a substantial subset of college students self-medicate with alcohol, marijuana, and/or over-the-counter medications to help sleep. The current study identified demographic, psychosocial, and sleep- and alcohol-related correlates of self-medication for sleep, and assessed its concurrent and prospective associations with insomnia symptoms, alcohol drinking and negative drinking consequences. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate students (N = 171; mean age = 19 years [SD = 1.35], 32% male, 74% White) enrolled in a four-year university in the northeastern United States. METHODS: Data were drawn from a short-term two-wave longitudinal study. Participants completed two online surveys, separated by an average interval of 68 days (SD = 10.22). RESULTS: At Time 1, 25% of students reported using at least one substance (alcohol, marijuana, and/or over-the-counter medications) for sleep aid in the past two weeks. Male and older students were more likely to report using substances for sleep. Sleep aid use at Time 1 was concurrently associated with greater levels of alcohol frequency, negative drinking consequences, and insomnia symptoms. Further, sleep aid use at Time 1 was associated with an increase in negative drinking consequences from Time 1 to Time 2, but not with changes in alcohol frequency or insomnia symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that substances are widely used among college students for sleep aid. Sleep aid use is associated with greater concurrent drinking and insomnia symptoms, and increases in negative drinking consequences over a short time period.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe the sleep and psychological characteristics of heavy drinking college students, their perceptions of sleep and sleep/alcohol interactions, and their reactions to a proposed integrated sleep and alcohol internet-based intervention. Students (N = 24) completed standardized surveys and participated in semi-structured focus group interviews. Participants reported a high degree of sleep disturbance, sleep obstacles, and sleep-related consequences, which were validated by both quantitative and qualitative investigations. Sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment were associated with more frequent drinking and greater risks from drinking. Participants perceived that alcohol has positive and negative effects on sleep latency, continuity, and quality. They expressed overall enthusiasm for the intervention but had specific content and format preferences.