Forget counting sheep and warm bubble baths. For millions of people who have problems falling and staying asleep, cannabis has become an increasingly popular sleep aid. But the evidence that the drug can help is limited.
“The hype surrounding cannabis has definitely outpaced the science behind it,” says at the University of Toronto in Canada.
For instance, in a 2022 survey of more than 27,000 adults living in the US and Canada, scientists found that . But at the RAND Corporation, a non-profit policy think tank, says there is only “equivocal” evidence of any real benefit – particularly in the long term.
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Although the dried flowers of Cannabis sativa and its close relative Cannabis indica contain thousands of chemicals that can affect the brain, most research has focused on two primary compounds: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
But exactly how THC and CBD affect sleep is challenging to measure, says Ladha, because the concentration and effects of these compounds vary by marijuana strain, by how much a person uses and by how they consume the drug – whether through smoking, vaping or eating edibles. Few studies control for these variables, says Ladha, and most rely on study participants self-reporting any effects on sleep.
This last point is a particular problem. Troxel says that, while someone who takes a THC gummy before bed might genuinely feel that they fell asleep more quickly and woke less often during the night, it could just be that cannabis altered their ability to remember what happened during the night.
The science of cannabis
As the use of marijuana and its compounds rises around the world, żěè¶ĚĘÓƵ explores the latest research on the medical potential of cannabis, how it is grown and its environmental impact, the way cannabis affects our bodies and minds and what the marijuana of the future will look like.
The few lab studies that have examined the drug’s effects on sleep more rigorously and objectively have thrown up some surprising results. For instance, by measuring brain activity during sleep, studies found that cannabis by suppressing rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep – the stage in the sleep cycle in which dreaming occurs. This may help explain a curious phenomenon. at New York University says chronic cannabis users sometimes report experiencing extremely vivid dreams when they don’t take marijuana.
Ultimately, Ahmad says, long-term cannabis use may paradoxically lead to worse sleep by desensitising the receptors in the brain and other parts of the body to which THC binds.
The difficulties in assessing cannabis’s effects on sleep are perhaps not surprising given there are so many additional factors to consider. One in particular makes the link between cannabis and sleep very challenging to study. It turns out that the .
Until researchers manage to unpick all of these variables, it may be wise to avoid pinning your hopes of a good night’s sleep on cannabis alone.
