Cited by 75Sleep and related disordersSleep and Wakefulness ResearchSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

The acute effects of alcohol on sleep architecture in late adolescence

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Chan, Julia K. M., Trinder, John, Andrewes, Holly E., Colrain, Ian M., Nicholas, Christian L.·2013·Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is prevalent in late adolescence; however, little is known about its effect on sleep in this group. In mature adults, alcohol decreases sleep onset latency (SOL) and sleep efficiency (SE) and increases wake after sleep onset (WASO). It also increases slow wave sleep (SWS) and decreases rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the first half of the night, with the inverse occurring in the second half. Alcohol's effect on sleep during late adolescence is of interest given that this age group shows both dramatic increases in alcohol consumption and significant developmental changes in the central nervous system. This study examined the effect of alcohol on sleep architecture in women and men aged 18 to 21 years and whether previously reported sleep architecture effects may have been as an artificial result of changes to sleep cycle length. METHODS: Twenty-four (12 women) healthy 18- to 21-year-old light social drinkers (19.1 ± 1.0 years) underwent 2 conditions: presleep alcohol (target breath alcohol concentration [BAC] 0.10%) and placebo-administered under controlled conditions, followed by standard polysomnography. RESULTS: In the alcohol condition, mean BAC at lights out was 0.084 ± 0.016%. Time in bed, total sleep time, and SOL (all p > 0.05) did not differ between conditions. However, there was less REM (p = 0.011) and more stage-2 sleep (p = 0.035) in the alcohol condition. Further, alcohol increased SWS (p = 0.02) and decreased REM sleep (p < 0.001) in the first half of the night and disrupted sleep in the second half, with increased WASO (interaction: p = 0.034), and decreased SE (p = 0.04) and SWS (p = 0.01) and no REM sleep rebound in the second half of the night (p = 0.262). Additionally, alcohol had no effect on sleep cycle length (p = 0.598). CONCLUSIONS: The results were broadly consistent with the adult literature with the novel extension that half night sleep architecture effects could not be attributed to changes in sleep cycle length. However, alcohol did not reduce SOL, or result in a REM rebound following reduced REM in the first half of the night. The results suggest that the effects of alcohol on sleep are modified by sleep's prevailing developmental stage.

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  • In 24 late adolescents (18-21 years old, 12 women), sleep onset latency was not reduced following alcohol consumption relative to a placebo control, and alcohol consumption was associated with increased wakefulness during the rest of the night.

    “A study in 24 late adolescents (18–21 years old, 12 women) supports this hypothesis, in that sleep onset latency was not reduced following alcohol consumption relative to a placebo control, and alcohol consumption was associated with increased wakefulness during the rest of the night (Chan, Trinder, Andrewes, Colrain, & Nicholas, 2013).”

    From Sleep and circadian contributions to adolescent alcohol use disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Chan et al., 2013

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Authors
Chan, J. K. M., Trinder, J., Andrewes, H. E., Colrain, I. M., & Nicholas, C. L.
Affiliations
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • SRI International (US)
Corresponding author
Nicholas, Christian L.
Venue
Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2013-06-25
Volume
37
Issue
10
Pages
1720-1728
ISSN
  • 0145-6008 (ISSN-L)
  • 1530-0277
OpenAlex
W2070078440
Cited by
75
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 6
FWCI
7.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Australasian Sleep Association
  • Medical Research Council
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA017320, AA020565, R21AA017320, R21AA020565)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
alcohol consumption, sleep architecture, late adolescence, REM sleep, slow-wave sleep, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, sleep latency, stage 2 sleep, REM rebound, sex differences, young adults, polysomnography, social drinking, sleep development, central nervous system maturation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Age Factors, Alcohol Drinking, Female, Humans, Male, Retrospective Studies, Sleep Stages, Time Factors, Single-Blind Method, Polysomnography, Young Adult

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