Is vaping e-cigarettes associated with sleep duration in US young adults? evidence from the 2022 BRFSS

The increasing use of e-cigarettes and the decline in sleep duration among young people are growing public health concerns. While cigarette smoking has been linked to shorter sleep duration, less is known about the effects of e-cigarettes. This study explores the association between exclusive e-cigarette use and sleep duration among US young adults aged 18-24 who only use e-cigarettes.

We analyzed data from 26,943 young adults in the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Sleep duration was categorized as short (< 7 h/24 hours), normal (7-9 h), or long (> 9 h). We excluded participants using any tobacco/nicotine products other than e-cigarettes and restricted the sample to 4,553 young adults with complete data. Logistic regression models assessed e-cigarette use status (i.e., current use, past use, and non-use) in relation to sleep duration, adjusting for demographics, current substance use, lifestyle factors, and health conditions.

Overall, 31.9% of young adults experienced short sleep duration, 63.2% reported normal sleep, and 4.9% had long sleep. Current e-cigarette users had a higher prevalence of short sleep duration (44.6%) than past users (33.0%) and non-users (27.4%; p-value < 0.001). Weighted analyses indicated that current e-cigarette use was significantly associated with short sleep duration (adjusted OR = 1.82; 95%CI: 1.30-2.54), but no significant associations were found with long sleep duration (all p-values > 0.05).

Current exclusive e-cigarette use is associated with short sleep duration among US young adults. Efforts to reduce e-cigarette use in this population may contribute to improved sleep health.