Rhythms and risks: Examining the relationship between circadian patterns and nicotine and alcohol use among medical students

Objective: Chronotype refers to an individual’s natural preference for sleep and wake times, which reflects their internal circadian rhythm. It determines whether a person feels more alert and active in the morning, in the evening, or follows a more intermediate pattern. The aim of the study was to identify a potential association between chronotypes and the consumption of nicotine and highrisk alcohol use among medical students. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between May 2024 and June 2024 via an online platform (Google Forms) among medical students in Marmara University. Horne-Ostberg’s Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire form was used to determine the circadian rhythm characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the associations of nicotine and high-risk alcohol use with chronotype. Results: A total of 323 medical students participated in the survey. Of the respondents, 198 (61.3%) had an intermediate chronotype, 69 (21.4%) had a morning chronotype, and 56 (17.3%) had an evening chronotype. It was observed that students with an evening chronotype had a statistically significantly higher rate of regular nicotine use compared to those with a morning chronotype (OR=3.62, p=0.04) and a high-risk alcohol use (OR=4.49, p=0.015). Conclusion: Assessing the evening type population among medical students may be a specific target for educational health promotion interventions aimed at preventing or reducing alcohol and nicotine consumption.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Marmara Medical Journal

• Publication date

  2026-01-28

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.5472/marumj.1873572
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Is evening chronotype associated with higher alcohol consumption? A systematic review and meta-analysis

  2023cited by this paper
• Why do students struggle in their first year of medical school? A qualitative study of student voices

  2022cited by this paper
• Relationship between chronotype and consumption of stimulants

  2021cited by this paper
• Associations between diurnal preference, impulsivity and substance use in a young-adult student sample

  2020cited by this paper
• Is there a 24-hour rhythm in alcohol craving and does it vary by sleep/circadian timing?

  2020cited by this paper
• Alcohol consumption by medical students.

  2020cited by this paper
• At-risk drinking and current cannabis use among medical students: a multivariable analysis of the role of personality traits

  2019cited by this paper
• The reduced Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and related factors in a young Swedish population

  2019cited by this paper
• A Comparison of Gender Differences in Smoking Behaviors, Intention to Quit, and Nicotine Dependence among Thai University Students

  2018cited by this paper
• Chronotype and depressive symptoms in students: An investigation of possible mechanisms

  2018cited by this paper
• Chronotype and sleep duration are associated with stimulant consumption and BMI among Chinese undergraduates

  2017cited by this paper
• The role of novelty seeking as a predictor of substance use disorder outcomes in early adulthood

  2017cited by this paper
• Chronotype, gender and general health

  2016cited by this paper
• Morningness–Eveningness and Risk Taking

  2015cited by this paper
• Circadian Typology: A Comprehensive Review

  2012cited by this paper
• Peroxiredoxins are conserved markers of circadian rhythms

  2012cited by this paper
• Morningness-eveningness, use of stimulants, and minor psychiatric disorders among undergraduate students.

  2011cited by this paper
• Influence of Circadian Typology on Drug Consumption, Hazardous Alcohol use, and Hangover Symptoms

  2011cited by this paper
• Morningness-Eveningness, Chronotypes and Health-Impairing Behaviors in Adolescents

  2011cited by this paper
• Decreased Psychological Well-Being in Late ‘Chronotypes’ Is Mediated by Smoking and Alcohol Consumption

  2010cited by this paper
• Social Jetlag: Misalignment of Biological and Social Time

  2006cited by this paper
• Novelty seekers and impulsive subjects are low in morningness

  2004cited by this paper
• Life between Clocks: Daily Temporal Patterns of Human Chronotypes

  2003cited by this paper
• Circadian preference, sleep and daytime behaviour in adolescence

  2002cited by this paper
• Association of intrinsic circadian period with morningness-eveningness, usual wake time, and circadian phase.

  2001cited by this paper
• The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: A 25-Year Retrospective

  1998cited by this paper
• Sleep and morningness‐eveningness in the ‘middle’ years of life (20–59y)

  1997cited by this paper
• Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption--II.

  1993cited by this paper
• Inter-individual differences in the human circadian system: a review.

  1985cited by this paper
• Desynchronization of human circadian rhythms.

  1967cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.