Too Tired to Drink? Daily Associations of Sleep Duration and Fatigue With Own and Others' Alcohol Consumption.

Objective: To better understand how sleep is associated with alcohol consumption among college students, the present study tested whether last night's sleep duration and current day fatigue were associated with being around others who were drinking that night and, if so, with alcohol consumption. Method: College student drinkers (N = 540; mean age = 18.78 years; 52% female; 86% White) reported daily for 30 days yearly for up to 4 years on aspects of their sleep, their own alcohol use, and the perceived drinking of others in an intensive longitudinal burst design. Results: Participants were less likely to report that they were with others who were drinking on evenings following higher than average sleep duration or greater than average daytime fatigue. In addition, experiencing greater than average daytime fatigue was associated with a lower likelihood of consuming any alcohol and lower levels of alcohol consumption at the daily level. Thus, daytime fatigue may be protective against alcohol consumption through both selection and behavior moderation. Conclusions: Results may be useful in the development of interventions to prevent heavy drinking among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]