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Developmental changes in sleep and circadian rhythms that occur during adolescence may contribute to reward‐related brain dysfunction, and consequently increase the risk of alcohol use disorders (AUDs).

This review (i) describes marked changes in circadian rhythms, reward‐related behavior and brain function, and alcohol involvement that occur during adolescence, (ii) offers evidence that these parallel developmental changes are associated, and (iii) posits a conceptual model by which misalignment between sleep–wake timing and endogenous circadian timing may increase the risk of adolescent AUDs by altering reward‐related brain function.

The timing of sleep shifts later throughout adolescence, in part due to developmental changes in endogenous circadian rhythms, which tend to become more delayed. This tendency for delayed sleep and circadian rhythms is at odds …