A national study of U.S. young adults ages 19 to 30 found that about 22% reported using cannabis, alcohol, or both to help themselves fall asleep, with cannabis far more common than alcohol. Researchers warn that while these substances may help people drift off, frequent use could worsen sleep over time and raise the risk of substance use problems.
New findings from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Panel Study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, indicate that using substances to initiate sleep is common among young adults in the United States.
According to the research, published as a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics in 2025, 22% of U.S. young adults ages 19 to 30 reported using cannabis, alcohol, or both to help them fall asleep.
Cannabis was used much more often than alcohol for sleep. About 18% of young adults said they used cannabis to help them fall asleep, while 7% reported using alcohol for the same reason. Among those who had used cannabis at any point in the past year, 41% said that helping themselves fall asleep was one reason they used it.
The study analyzed survey responses from 1,473 young adults across the country who are part of the Monitoring the Future Panel Study, which follows nationally representative samples of U.S. students into adulthood and tracks substance use patterns over time.
Researchers also found notable demographic differences in how substances were used for sleep. Women were almost twice as likely as men to report using cannabis to help them fall asleep, and participants who identified as another gender were more than four times as likely as men to do so. Black young adults were about three times more likely than white young adults to say they used alcohol as a sleep aid.
Megan Patrick, a research professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future Panel Study, cautioned that relying on cannabis or alcohol as a sleep aid can be counterproductive.
"Using these substances to get to sleep can backfire because they can interfere with the ability to stay asleep and with the quality of sleep," Patrick said in a University of Michigan news release. "They appear to actually disrupt sleep in the long term. The fact that so many young adults reported that they use cannabis to sleep is alarming."
Patrick also warned that regular use of cannabis or alcohol to fall asleep could contribute to the development of substance use problems. "Long-term, regular use of these substances to get to sleep may lead to worse sleep problems and increased risk for substance use disorder," she said. She noted that tolerance may develop over time, meaning people may need more of a substance to achieve the same effect, which can further escalate use.
The authors describe this work as among the first national studies to closely examine how and why young adults use cannabis and alcohol for sleep management. The Monitoring the Future Panel Study follows participants from their student years into adulthood, providing data on how substance use patterns evolve over time.
Patrick said many young adults may overestimate the benefits of using substances to cope with sleep difficulties. "Unfortunately, there is a misconception that substance use can be helpful for sleep problems, but it can make things worse," she said. She emphasized that high-quality sleep is critical for mental health and mood regulation.
Given the strong overlap between sleep problems and substance use during young adulthood, the researchers say clinicians should be alert to this connection. They recommend that health care providers screen young adults for both sleep difficulties and substance use and offer integrated support when needed.
"Health care providers should understand how common both sleep problems and substance use are during young adulthood," Patrick said. "And that many young adults are using cannabis specifically to get to sleep. People who are trying to manage sleep problems should talk to their doctors or other providers."
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Additional authors on the paper include Yuk C. Pang and Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath.
