Does sleep affect alcohol-related attention bias?

Background: Poor quality sleep can lead to executive function deficits, including problems with inhibitory control. Similarly, substance use is associated with decreased inhibitory control for substance-related stimuli. Therefore, this study investigated whether sleep quality is associated with attentional bias.

Methods: Participants were 39 university students (18–28 years, 29 females). An eye tracking task was used to measure attentional bias for alcohol-related stimuli. Alcohol usage and sleep quality were measured using self- report questionnaires (AUDIT and PSQI respectively).

Results: An attentional bias related to alcohol usage was observed within the participants. However, there was no association observed with sleep quality.

Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude that sleep quality may not influence attentional biases.