Purpose of review: This article explores recent research in adolescent circadian rhythms, neurobiological changes influencing affective regulation and reward responding, and the emergence of substance use and related problems.
Recent findings: Recent findings have confirmed that adolescents with drug and alcohol problems are also beset by sleep problems, and have advanced our understanding of the relationship between sleep problems and substance involvement in this developmental period. During adolescence, a shift to later preferred sleep times interacts with early school start times to cause sleep loss and circadian misalignment. Sleep loss and circadian misalignment may disrupt reward-related brain function and impair inhibitory control. Deficits or delays in mature reward and inhibitory functions may contribute to adolescent alcohol use and other substance involvement.
Summary: An integration of the available research literature suggests that changes in sleep and circadian rhythms during adolescence may contribute to accelerated substance use and related problems.