Respondents between the ages of 25 and 44 years were most likely to report a beneficial effect of marijuana on sleep (45%), while older adults were less likely to report using marijuana. Results show that there are gender and age differences in both marijuana use and its perceived impact on sleep. In contrast (19% of adults reported either no impact (11%) or that their sleep is worse when they use marijuana (8%)), and 47% of respondents indicated that they don’t use marijuana. One-third (33%) of adults reported that their sleep is slightly or significantly better when they use marijuana.
The other authors have no competing interests to disclose. We identified twenty-one recent studies of cannabinoids for insomnia (subjective sleep impairment), obstructive sleep apnoea, rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, and restless legs syndrome. There isn’t conclusive evidence on whether CBD or THC is better for relieving insomnia symptoms.While cannabis may help people with insomnia fall asleep easier, heavy or extended use may negatively impact your circadian rhythm and make it harder to fall and stay asleep. Many people use cannabis to successfully manage their chronic pain and insomnia. For people with certain conditions, such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and multiple sclerosis, cannabis may help them fall asleep faster, wake up less during the night, and enjoy better sleep quality overall. With the changing legal climate, it is more likely for providers to encounter patients who report the use of cannabis products for sleep.
Another important consideration with regards to cannabis use in adolescents and young adults is its effect on cognition and intelligence. The entourage effect theory posits that the non-THC components within whole-flower cannabis influence the overall effects of cannabis. However, as concluded in a literature review exploring CBD and anxiety, evidence is mixed and limited (Lichenstein, 2022).
Sleep has a well-documented role in the maintenance of cognitive function, thus there may be an interactive or additive effect of cannabis on cognition via its purported effect on sleep. This diurnal ECB expression pattern indicates that brain regions controlling cognitive function may be regulated in a circadian-like manner. The ECB system has become an emerging target of interest due to its purported role in both sleep regulation and cognition.
The introduction of the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, aimed at establishing permanent standard time, is celebrated by AASM.
Descriptive statistics for anxiety and sleep scores among adults using cannabidiol treatment Table 1 provides means and standard deviations for sleep and anxiety scores at baseline and during the follow-up period for adults taking CBD. cannabis-inspired culinary culture in London Deidentified patient data were evaluated using descriptive statistics and plotted graphically for visual analysis and interpretation of trends. Side effects and tolerability of CBD treatment were assessed through spontaneous patient self-reports and were documented in case records.
Taken together — the evidence suggests cannabis may provide short-term, subjective improvements, but tolerance, withdrawal effects, and inconsistent findings across studies highlight the need for further research. Their findings were generally neutral to slightly positive. Evidence in this area is still limited and inconsistent. Over time (the impact of cannabis on sleep often becomes neutral), and in some cases may worsen sleep quality.
The House’s passage of the Sunshine Protection Act is condemned by AASM.
Significant enhancements in insomnia symptoms were suggested by results from a large naturalistic sample of medicinal cannabis users who monitored their symptoms before and after using cannabis, with no differences in perceived efficacy based on gender. Research on cannabis’s impact on sleep frequently involves individuals with other health issues. The effects of cannabis on sleep-wake activity and cognition were assessed in three animal studies. This systematic scoping review revealed six studies involving humans and six studies involving animals that provided data on how the sleep-wake cycle and the endocannabinoid system affect cognitive function and behavior.
METHODS
Evidence supports the notion that CBD has more consistent sleep-enhancing effects, potentially influenced by stress, existing health conditions, and other medications. Research indicates that low to moderate doses of CBD enhance wakefulness in young adults and preclinical models (specifically 39), 40, while also improving sleep in adults. Although CBD is not believed to change sleep architecture, this study confirms that higher doses of CBD lead to greater improvements in sleep 36, 37. Among the cancer patients involved, 75% utilized enteral (oral) cannabis products, either solely or alongside inhalation products during their participation. Roughly 40% were eligible for a reduced program fee, which served as a proxy for the patients’ financial status in this study.
An initial open-label trial indicated some enhancements in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), but there was considerable variability in individual responses. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine initiated an online survey of 2,007 adults in the U.S. regarding sleep issues. According to the CDC, 3.7% of adults in the U.S. reported using marijuana or other cannabis products most days or daily in the past 30 days to aid sleep. Research examining the effects of cannabis products on sleep has yielded inconsistent outcomes.
The small number of human studies on the effects of cannabis use on sleep and cognitive function limits the convergence of findings but suggests dissociation between cannabis effects on cognition and sleep. This study cohort had 40 articles (where 28 examined the effects of cannabis on sleep,33–60 4 evaluated on both sleep and chronic pain,61–64 3 described the effects of cannabis on sleep and posttraumatic stress disorders,65–67 3 examined the effects of cannabis solely on OSA,68–70 and 2 studies described cannabis for RLS.31,71,72 This study was conducted within the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program (MMCP)), which authorizes patients with specific qualifying conditions to receive cannabis products . Nevertheless, these results are consistent with a cross-sectional survey of medical cannabis users’ patterns of use which revealed inhalation is the most common method of use . De-identified data were obtained from Strainprint® — which houses a medical cannabis technology platform in Canada. The final sample consisted of 991 Canadian medicinal cannabis users with insomnia who used the app to monitor changes in insomnia symptoms across 24,189 recorded sessions.
Significant research has been conducted on the impact of cannabis on the pulmonary system in both acute and long-term contexts. While retrospective analyses and molecular-level suggestions indicate potential negative effects of cannabis on the cardiovascular system, these findings have not been confirmed by prospective clinical data. This study faced limitations due to self-reported measurements, which could introduce recall bias, and the self-reported cannabis usage diverged significantly from biochemical validation , Jeffers et al., 2024,. These alterations disrupt stress and anxiety responses, thermoregulation, the transient receptor potential vanilloid system, as well as several neurotransmitter systems, potentially mediating the pathophysiology of CHS , DeVuono & Parker, 2020,.
Using the Strainprint app (data were collected to enable medicinal cannabis users to document their conditions and symptoms), track cannabis usage, and monitor symptom severity both before and after cannabis use. Generally, individuals tend to consume cannabis products to aid in sleep prior to bedtime. Although limited research exists on the optimal cannabis strain for sleep, a small study has identified several strains that are preferred. Furthermore, pregnant or nursing individuals should refrain from using cannabis products containing THC or CBD. This is attributed to the varying effects different cannabinoids (such as THC and CBD), have on the body.
We undertook a retrospective analysis of medicinal cannabis users to explore the usage profile and perceived effectiveness of cannabinoids in treating insomnia. The other three animal studies analyzed focused on directly measuring or manipulating endocannabinoid systems to investigate sleep-wake activity and cognitive functions. Studies that directly assessed the sleep-wake cycle in response to manipulation of endocannabinoid systems revealed significant variations in the duration of specific sleep cycles , REM, NREM, and wake stages,, with consistent alterations in sleep latency across different species. To summarize — the impacts of cannabis usage on cognitive function and the sleep-wake cycle appeared to be ambiguous across the studies. The authors concluded that no relationship existed between cannabis usage and the activation of the reward pathways, instead identifying connections between reward pathway activation and changes in circadian preference.