Many college students who consume alcohol experience periods of amnesia known as “blackouts.” Alcohol-induced blackouts have been associated with injury, sexual assault, depression, and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Previous studies have demonstrated that college students with AUD indicate sleep is a risk factor for alcohol-induced blackouts. One sleep behavior that may impact one’s risk of alcohol-induced blackouts is insomnia, which is defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep. This study examines the role on insomnia on alcohol use and alcohol-induced blackout.

The study’s sample consisted of 461 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a large Midwestern University. Participants were asked to report past month drinking frequency, quantity consumed on a typical occasion, frequency of binge drinking (4-5+ drinks), frequency of heavy drinking (12+ drinks), and maximum number of drinks consumed in one sitting. Symptoms of insomnia were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Lastly, frequency of alcohol-induced blackout and alcohol-related consequences were assessed. Data was analyzed using hierarchical linear regression and logistic regression.

Results of the data analysis showed heavy drinking was more weakly related to blackout in the context of more severe insomnia. Post hoc analyses were conducted as a result of these initial results to determine if drinking-insomnia associations impacted a variety of consequences of alcohol use. These analyzes showed there were drinking-insomnia associations for likelihood of feeling sick/throwing up, inability to remember large periods of time, hangover, and passing out.

Takeaway: Insomnia may not play a mediating role in the relationship between heavy drinking and alcohol-induced blackouts in college students.

Miller, M.B., Boness, C.L., DiBello, A.M., Froeliger, B.. Insomnia as a Moderator of Alcohol Use and Blackout: Potential Role in Acute Physiological Consequences. Addictive Behaviors. 2022;07395. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107395