Binge drinking, marijuana use, and poor academic performance predicted by sleeping problems

A study shows that binge drinking, marijuana use, and poor academic performance are predicted by problems sleeping.

While the temptations to stay up late are many, a small new study suggests a very good reason for college students to hit the hay. Those who are poor sleepers are more likely to get worse grades and to withdraw from a course, according to a new study. In fact, the effects of poor sleep were about as strong as binge drinking and marijuana use on a student's academic performance.

The researchers analyzed data from over 43,000 students included in the spring 2009 American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment (NCHA). After controlling for potentially confounding factors that might predict how a college student fares academically, like clinical depression, feelings of isolation or chronic health problems, the researchers found that getting poor sleep was a strong predictor of problems at school.

While few students are likely to have a clinical sleep disorder, Roxanne Prichard, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota tells The Huffington Post, about 60 percent say they have some kind of problem sleeping. But for all the effort colleges put into anti-drinking and de-stressing campaigns, little time or money is spent to promote better sleep -- and doing so could help both students and the colleges themselves, she says.

"Sleep really isn't systematically approached in a way that could have major economic benefits to both the students and the universities in terms of increased retention," she says. Indeed, reducing the number of courses a student withdraws from by just one ups his or her probability of graduating by 14 percent, she says -- and it goes without saying that student retention is good for a university's bottom line.

Prichard hopes more schools decide to include a screening for sleep problems among students, which could ultimately limit costs of care of university health centers, she says. "I don't think sleep problems are showing up on the questionnaire intake forms for health services, and that could be explaining a lot of the other problems that you see showing up," she says. "Recurrent illness could be sleep problems."

Prichard and co-investigator Monica Hartmann, Ph.D., professor of economics at the University of St. Thomas, found that poor sleep was even more detrimental among freshmen, according to the study. "I think that's partially because freshmen have the worst sleep of any age group," she says. Not only are they hungry for independence from their parents, but they also are more likely to be "delayed phase" -- essentially, they are more biologically inclined to be night owls because of their age, she says. Focusing especially on first-year students is a smart idea for universities, she says, because freshmen-year success (or lack thereof) is a strong predictor of whether or not a student drops out his or her sophomore year.

The research, published in an online supplement of the journal SLEEP, will be presented Tuesday, June 3, at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

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Smoking marijuana can lead to poor sleep quality, study claims

According to a study, smoking marijuana can lead to impaired sleep and poor sleep quality.

Smoking pot can lead to poor sleep quality, a new research shows.

Researchers found that marijuana abuse was linked to increased chances of difficulty in falling asleep, struggling to maintain sleep, experiencing non-restorative sleep and feeling daytime sleepiness.

The effect was strongly seen in people who began smoking weed before the age of 15. They were nearly twice more likely to have severe problems falling asleep, experiencing non-restorative sleep and feeling overly sleepy during the day.

"Current and past marijuana users are more likely to experience sleep problems," said lead author Jilesh Chheda, research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "The most surprising finding was that there was a strong relationship with age of first use, no matter how often people were currently using marijuana. People who started using early were more likely to have sleep problems as an adult," he said in a news release.

The study involved adults ranging in age from 20-59 years who responded to the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). A history of drug use was reported by 1,811 participants. Cannabis use was assessed as any history of use, age at first use and number of times used in the past month. Sleep-related problems were considered severe if they occurred at least 15 days per month.

The findings show that weed abuse in the early years of adolescence might pose a higher risk for subsequent insomnia symptoms.

"Marijuana use is common, with about half of adults having reported using it at some point in their life," said Chheda. "As it becomes legal in many states, it will be important to understand the impact of marijuana use on public health, as its impact on sleep in the 'real world' is not well known."

The research abstract was published in the journal 'Sleep' and will be presented Wednesday, June 4, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

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FDA approved marijuana-based CLINICAL TRIAL to treat Epilepsy

PLEASE NOTE: The FDA has recently approved a clinical trial  or an experiment with a marijuana-base to treat epileptic disorders. The agent has not been approved for clinical use. If interested call the study sponsors below.  JR

The US Federal Drug Association approved clinical studies that aim to determine whether purified cannabidiol (CBD) is a viable anti-seizure treatment. Physician investigators will be provided with Epidiolex, a new 98% CBD product made by GW Pharmaceuticals, and conduct Investigational New Drug studies involving epileptic children.

According to O’Shaughnessy, the clinical studies will be sponsored by Orrin Devinsky, MD, at the NYU School of Medicine, and Roberta Cilio, MD, PhD, at University of California, San Francisco. Both are expected to monitor the progress of 25 patients, but they may enroll more with approval from the FDA. Additionally, Cilio will conduct two individual studies as well.

GW Pharmaceuticals, the British company responsible for the cannabis-based spray Sativex, will provide researchers with their latest “pure CBD” product – Epidiolex. The drug will come in the form of a viscous liquid to be dispensed in syringe droppers. Additionally, there will be two strengths available: 25 milligrams per milliliter and 100 mg/ml.

According to GW, Epidiolex contains no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychotropic component in cannabis. It is said to contain more than 98% cannabidiol (CBD) and trace amounts of other cannabinoids. GW chairman Geoffrey Guy, MD, told O’Shaughnessy, “Our definition of pure is no THC.”

Guy believes the studies will help provide “better understanding and experience in what cannabidiol does in these different children groups, what benefit we can see, and how the results can best be measured.”

Considering anecdotal evidence that cannabis can help treat epileptic seizures, and nearly 5 years of pre-clinical trial data from GW Pharmaceuticals, Guy expects more studies to come in the future.

“In the coming months, if the FDA is comfortable about how things are going, there will be a number of senior epileptologists in major university centers throughout the U.S., each treating a couple of dozen patients with various epilepsies,” he explained.

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Parent treating child's autism with medical marijuana

This article discusses the controversy going on in Oregon over a family treating their autistic child with medical marijuana.

An Oregon family has turned to medical marijuana to manage their son's severe autistic rage, KPTV reported.

Alex Echols, 11, is severely autistic, and his doctor said Alex's self-destructive behavior is brought on by tuberous sclerosis, a rare, genetic disorder that affects about 50,000 people in the U.S.  

The disorder causes unregulated growth of non-malignant tissue in organs. In Alex's case, his neurologist said growths in Alex's brain have led to seizures and autism.

Echols said by the time Alex was 5, he exhibited intense, self-directed rage. Echols showed us home videos of the rage. He said they videotaped the episodes to show doctors the injuries were self-inflicted.

His parents got him a helmet to protect his head, swaddled him like a newborn and tried mood-altering drugs to control the behavior, with little success. When he was eight years old, the Echols made the heartbreaking decision to move Alex into a state-funded group home.

But was there a way to help him? In late 2009, the Echols said they saw a television news story about a California woman who was using medical marijuana to treat her autistic son. The Echols researched Oregon's medical marijuana program, and in 2010, a doctor approved Alex for medical marijuana use.

Alex is now one of 58 minors currently protected under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. While autism is not a qualifying medical condition like cancer or severe pain, in Alex's case, his seizures were.

And after a few months of treatment, the Echols said they saw a dramatic improvement. 

Echols said Alex's group home will not administer the marijuana, so, about three times a week off-site, his parents give Alex a liquid form of the drug by mouth.

While Dr. Colin Roberts, Alex's doctor and a pediatric neurologist at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, did not condone the treatment, he said he understood the family's desire to help their child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has circulated a resolution that opposes the use of medical marijuana in children. Dr. Sharon Levy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston's Children's Hospital and chairwoman of the AAP's committee on substance abuse, told FOX 12 marijuana is toxic to children's developing brains. She also said enough isn't known about the drug's long-term effects.

The Echols have set up a Facebook page that chronicles Alex's journey. You can find their blog at www.facebook.com/alex.autism.rage.mmj.

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Alcohol and Marijuana Use in Youth can Compromise White Matter in Brain

Research into how alcohol and marijuana use affects children's brains showed that the integrity of white matter can be compromised.

Chronic use of alcohol and marijuana during youth is associated with poorer neural structure, function, and metabolism, as well as worsened neurocognitive abilities into later adolescence and adulthood. This may be due to biological and psychosocial transitions occurring during adolescence that impart increased vulnerability to neurotoxic influences. A study of longitudinal changes in fiber tract integrity associated with adolescent alcohol and marijuana use during 1.5 years supports previous findings of reduced white-matter integrity in these youth.

Results will be published in a special online issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Research has shown differences in the brains of teens who use alcohol and marijuana as compared to teens who do not use these drugs or report only very infrequent, minimal use," said Joanna Jacobus, postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego as well as corresponding author for the study. "Alcohol and marijuana may have a negative impact by altering important cellular communication in the brain, preventing development of new healthy cells, and/or causing inflammation, which can adversely impact healthy brain development in many ways. For example, the results can lead to changes in brain structure such as volume, and function such as activity."

"The areas of the brain that are composed mostly of connecting axons have been termed 'white matter,' since these areas appear white in color," added Duncan Clark, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "However, prior research has not clearly demonstrated that this white matter disorganization is caused by alcohol or marijuana use. In some studies where adolescents are studied only once, white matter disorganization may have been present prior to alcohol or marijuana use."

"The teen brain is continuing to develop, so many neural systems are not yet fully matured, as compared to adults' brains," said Jacobus. "Brain connections important for inhibiting risky behaviors are still forming, and some youth are more likely to choose immediate effects, such as alcohol or marijuana use, over long-term benefits."

Clark agreed. "Maturation of the brain during adolescence is thought to be the foundation for self-control," he said. "The developing adolescent brain, compared to the fully developed adult brain, is also probably more vulnerable to alcohol neurotoxicity. Adolescents are vulnerable to loss of control and, when this loss of control involves substance use, excessive or risky substance use can have adverse consequences."

For 18 months, the researchers followed 92 adolescents (63 males, 29 females), ages 16 to 20 years, divided into two groups: 41 with extensive alcohol and marijuana use histories by mid-adolescence, and 51 with consistently minimal if any substance use. Participants were part of an ongoing longitudinal study of substance use in adolescence with teens recruited from local schools from 2005 to 2007. Both groups received diffusion tensor imaging and detailed substance use assessments, along with toxicology screening, at baseline and 18-month follow-ups -- 182 scans in all -- as well as interim substance-use interviews every six months.

"We found evidence for poorer white matter tissue health in teens who engage in heavy alcohol and marijuana use compared to those who abstain," said Jacobus. She noted that white matter, the "information highway of the brain," allows for quick and efficient communication between brain regions. Compromised white matter can mean slower cognitive processing and poorer cognitive performance such as memory, attention, and decision-making.

"As to whether there were differences in these teens before they began using alcohol and marijuana is difficult to determine, but we found that increasing alcohol use over 1.5 years in late adolescence was related to a decline in white matter health 18 months later, supporting a negative effect of alcohol use on the brain despite potential pre-existing differences," Jacobus said.

"White matter organization was particularly compromised in an area called the superior longitudinal fasciculus," added Clark. "This is one of the major connection roadways in the brain. When the connections between brain areas are severely damaged, those areas of the brain cannot properly function. While the more subtle deficit shown here may impair functioning, the degree of deficit involved is not likely to be obvious in day-to day functioning. However, we are concerned that even these subtle deficits in brain microstructure may lead to diminished self-control."

"Our findings underscore that early initiation of alcohol and marijuana use can have negative implications on the brain" said Jacobus. "We hope this information can be communicated to teens to help them understand why drinking during adolescence is discouraged. In the future, biomarkers such as tissue health may help identify teens that are particularly vulnerable for engaging in riskier behaviors such as drinking."

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