Marijuana may help insomnia. A few things in the article from Medical Marijuana Treatment Clinics of Florida (MMTC) back up articles that we at Last Chance Asylum! (to check those out, click here!) This article from the MMTCF shares an in depth review on medical marijuana and its positive effects on Insomnia. They lay out in detail what Insomnia can lead to and how it can be helped with medical marijuana.
Sleep Study
Another article written in 2022 discussed a study done in Canada. The study examined whether medical cannabis could improve insomnia and whether it could reduce patients’ reliance on prescription sleep medications. Researchers reviewed the medical records of 38 patients who were using or seeking medical cannabis for sleep disorders. At the beginning of the study, the average Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score was 15.4, indicating moderate insomnia, and 87% of patients said their sleep problems affected their daily lives.
Follow Up
After approximately three months of follow-up, 71% of patients reported that their sleep or related condition improved. Some patients said they fell asleep more easily or were able to sleep longer through the night, while 26% reported a very significant improvement. Additionally, 39% of patients reduced or completely stopped using prescription medications for sleep or related conditions. These are all positive results. The less reliance on prescription medications, the better!
The article discussed possible effects of different cannabinoids on sleep. Lower doses of THC have been associated with reduced sleep-onset time and easier sleep initiation, while higher doses may reduce REM sleep. CBD may have different effects depending on the dose: lower doses can be stimulating, while higher doses may be more sedating and may increase total sleep time and reduce nighttime awakenings.
Conclusion
However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. The study was small, retrospective, and based largely on patients’ subjective reports. Most patients did not have follow-up ISI scores, so researchers could not objectively measure changes in insomnia severity. The study also could not establish that cannabis caused the improvements. The authors therefore concluded that the findings are hypothesis-generating rather than strong evidence that cannabis treats insomnia, and that larger randomized controlled trials are needed.
The study suggests that medical cannabis may help some people with insomnia—particularly with falling asleep and staying asleep—and may allow some patients to reduce their use of prescription sleep medications. The evidence is still limited, and the study does not establish cannabis as a proven treatment for insomnia.
Always Remember: Some help is better than zero help.