Scientists warn of addiction risks of children who don''t sleep well
12/04/2010
Children who don''t manage to get enough sleep are at greater risk of developing problems with drugs and alcohol when they grow up.
That''s the warning that has been issued by scientists from the United States, whose research found a clear link between poor sleeping patterns and high drug usage.
Indeed, the team at Idaho State University found that kids who fail to get enough sleep between the ages of three and five are then more likely not only to struggle to get sufficient shut-eye in bed in their teens, but to then go on and develop drink and drug problems in early adulthood.
Professor Maria Wong, who led the study, said: "Overtiredness in early childhood predicted lower response inhibition - that is, having problems inhibiting impulses and behaviour – in adolescence, which predicted higher numbers of illicit drugs used."
At the same time, the American Thoracic Society (ATC) gas warned that obstructive sleep apnea in middle-aged men can lead to an increase risk of suffering from a stroke.
Posted by Elizabeth Mewes
