Have you ever tried marijuana to get a better night’s sleep? Research is inconclusive, but one recent study found that marijuana might actually make sleep worse. If you’re struggling to get the sleep you need, The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona is home to unparalleled levels of staffing with three sleep specialists, a physician assistant with a Masters in Sleep, a clinical psychologist focused on cognitive behavior for insomnia, and other professionals on staff who are committed to treating all kinds of sleep disorders.
It’s commonly assumed that marijuana can help people sleep better because many strains make you tired. However, a sleep specialist involved in the recent study says that when it comes to using marijuana for sleep, “This is an understudied but important area, as many people are increasingly turning to cannabis products as sleep aids…but we really lack solid evidence demonstrating whether cannabis helps or hurts our sleep.” What we do know is that there was a surge of people reaching for sleep aids during the pandemic and that trend persists today. Sleep aids, whether over the counter, prescription, or marijuana, might be helpful in the short-term, but if you’re challenged by insomnia you deserve a long-term solution.
The Science Behind Cannabis and Sleep
The full study can be found in BMJ Journal, where it shows that those who use cannabis 20+ days in a month are 64 percent more likely to sleep less than six hours per night. On the other end of the spectrum, they are 76 percent more likely to sleep longer than nine hours—few adults need more than nine hours of sleep (with the exception of some elderly adults). Sleeping too much can be dangerous, just like sleeping too little.
Everyone is a little different, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that most adults need 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night for optimal health. Those who are considered moderate marijuana users—using fewer than 20 days out of the month—didn’t present with any problems falling or staying asleep. However, 47 percent in this group were also sleeping more than nine hours per night.
The Issue with Sleeping Too Much
Whether you sleep too little or too much, a number of large population studies have shown that this leads to an increase in a myriad of risks ranging from heart attacks to strokes. In the long-term, there is also an increased risk of diabetes, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and other big heart events. One expert points out that, “It seems with sleep there’s this kind of ‘Goldilocks phenomenon’ where there’s an amount [that’s] ‘just right.’” We already know that Americans are chronically sleep deprived, with 33 percent of US adults not getting enough sleep according to the CDC.
There are also between 50 – 70 million Americans who have sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. The CDC has called sleep issues a public health problem because of poor sleep’s association with so many disorders and diseases. However, marijuana might not be the answer. A 2021 study of marijuana and sleep that included 21,729 adults aged 20 – 59 years old is considered by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to represent more than 146 million Americans. Those who used marijuana had problems with both short and long sleep, but also reported that they had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and were more likely to have recently discussed sleep problems with a health provider recently.
Getting Sleep the Right Way
One of the authors of the study says, “we can’t really say that it’s causal, meaning we can’t know for sure whether this was simply individuals who were having difficulty falling asleep, and that’s why they use the cannabis or the cannabis caused it.” There have been previous studies on marijuana and sleep that found similar results, with some connecting the two components of marijuana—THC and CBD—with poor sleep. One sleep doctor who spoke about the study says, “At this time there still isn’t any clear evidence that cannabis is helping sleep … we know that when people initiate use there is some benefit in the immediate short term, but there is quick tolerance to this effect.”
If you really want to get your sleep problems under control, work with a reputable sleep doctor. No referral is necessary to book your consultation at The Insomnia and Sleep Institute. Call the office during business hours or complete the online contact form right now.
