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.
Data were collected using the Strainprint app — which allows medicinal cannabis users to log conditions and symptoms, track cannabis use, and monitor symptom severity pre- and postcannabis use. When using cannabis products to help with sleep, people often use them before cannabis and sports performance research going to bed. Little research has been conducted on the best strain for sleep — though a small study found several preferred strains. Additionally, people who are pregnant or nursing should avoid using cannabis products that contain THC or CBD. This is due to differences in how individual cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, affect the body.
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. 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.
There has been extensive research on the effects of cannabis on the pulmonary system both in the acute and long-term settings. There is suggestion on a molecular level and based on retrospective analyses that cannabis may have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system — but prospective clinical data has not confirmed these suggested findings. However, this study was limited by measuring its variables by self-report, as the outcomes could be subject to recall bias, and the self-reported cannabis use was in poor agreement with biochemical validation (Jeffers et al., 2024). These changes dysregulate stress and anxiety responses, thermoregulation, the transient receptor potential vanilloid system, and several neurotransmitter systems, and thus may mediate the pathophysiology of CHS (DeVuono & Parker, 2020).
The impact of cannabis on cognition and intelligence is another significant factor to consider for adolescents and young adults. According to the entourage effect theory — the overall effects of cannabis are influenced by the non-THC components found in whole-flower cannabis. A literature review assessing the relationship between CBD and anxiety concluded that the evidence remains limited and inconsistent (Lichenstein, 2022).
Individuals aged 25 to 44 were the most inclined to report that marijuana positively affects their sleep (45%), while older individuals were less likely to use marijuana. Findings indicate that there are variations in both the use of marijuana and its perceived effects on sleep based on gender and age. Conversely — 19% of adults claimed that marijuana either had no effect on their sleep (11%) or made it worse (8%), while 47% stated they do not use marijuana at all. A third (33%) of adults noted that their sleep improves slightly or significantly when they use marijuana.
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.
These findings support the hypothesis that CBD has more predictable sleep-promoting effects that may be moderated by stress (underlying health conditions), and concurrent medications. Studies have shown that low-to-moderate doses of CBD promote wakefulness in young adults and preclinical models 39, 40 and improve sleep in adults . This study also confirms that higher doses of CBD result in greater sleep improvement 36, 37, even though, unlike THC, CBD is not thought to alter sleep architecture . During their participation — 75% of cancer patients used enteral (oral) cannabis products, either alone or in combination with inhalation products. Approximately 40% qualified for the reduced program fee, which was used in this study as a proxy for patient financial status.
Methods
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.
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.
While an initial open label trial showed some improvements in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) — there was substantial heterogeneity in response. About the Survey The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned an onlin3e survey of 2,007 adults in the U.S. The CDC found that 3.7% of adults in the U.S. used marijuana or another cannabis product most days or every day in the past 30 days to help them fall or stay asleep. Studies examining the impact of cannabis products on sleep have produced conflicting results.
Data from a substantial naturalistic sample of medicinal cannabis users tracking their insomnia before and after usage indicate notable improvements in insomnia symptoms — with no gender differences in perceived effectiveness. Furthermore, studies on cannabis and its effects on sleep frequently involve individuals with additional health issues. Additionally, three studies on animals investigated the impacts of cannabis on sleep-wake behavior and cognitive functions. In this systematic scoping review (we located six studies involving humans and six involving animals), all of which provided data concerning the effects of the sleep-wake cycle and the ECB system on cognitive performance and behavior.