Study: Same-Day Cannabis Use Improves Sleep for Users With Anxiety

The relationship between cannabis and sleep remains widely debated. Studies have shown that cannabis does have sleep benefits, and many consumers who use cannabis may also find it more sedative to combat symptoms such as insomnia. . One study even found that people were turning to cannabis instead of over-the-counter sleep aids.

vice versa, other the study Conversely, it suggests that cannabis use can disrupt sleep in some situations. After all, this is a complex subject with seemingly many variables at play, and like most cannabis research topics, our knowledge about cannabis and sleep is still growing.

Recently, study It was published in the magazine behavioral sleep medicine We provide further evidence that cannabis may help improve sleep, especially for consumers experiencing moderate anxiety who use cannabis on the same day.

Investigating the effects of cannabis on sleep in consumers with anxiety

Interestingly, anxiety and cannabis also tend to be controversial and complex topics. It's widely known that cannabis can increase anxiety and related symptoms, but research suggests this can be a complex topic involving many variables.

Specifically, THC is known to increase anxiety in high doses, while CBD and/or THC in low doses tend to reduce anxiety. Broadly speaking, personal factors may also play a role in how one person responds to anxiety-related cannabis and how another person responds to cannabis. there is.

Researchers note mixed evidence regarding both sleep and anxiety in their research summaries, with varying results regarding specific cannabinoids.

“Cannabis is increasingly being used to self-treat anxiety and related sleep disorders, despite the lack of clear evidence to support or refute its anxiolytic or sleep-aiding effects.” the researchers wrote. “Additionally, different forms of cannabis and the primary cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have different pharmacological effects.”

To investigate the relationship between cannabis use, anxiety, and sleep quality, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder studied a cohort of 348 adults with mild to moderate symptoms of generalized anxiety. Subjects were instructed to consume either cannabis flower high in THC, CBD, or an edible that combined both THC and CBD in equal proportions.

To track each participant's progress during the experiment, study participants completed an online survey every day for 30 days.

Growing literature on cannabis, sleep, and anxiety

The study ultimately found that when participants reported using cannabis on a given day, they also reported better sleep quality the following night. The researchers also noted that in a moderation analysis, sleep perception was better after cannabis use among respondents with higher baseline emotional symptoms.

The study also noted that respondents who used high-CBD foods reported the highest perceived sleep quality.

another recent research Similarly, we investigated how cannabis affects anxiety and sleep, and found that among patients prescribed cannabis-based medicines (CBMPs) for generalized anxiety disorder, with and without sleep disturbances. We are trying to compare the outcomes of cases.

This study points to an association between CBMP and improvements in anxiety, sleep, and health-related quality of life. Similar to the CU Boulder study, those with the most severe anxiety at baseline were most likely to have the highest clinical improvement in anxiety at the final 12-month assessment.

A similar study A study from 2023 found that CBMP prescriptions were associated with “clinically significant improvements in anxiety.” The study also found improvements in sleep quality and quality of life at 1, 3, and 6 months.

A closer look at cannabis and sleep, particularly same-day cannabis use, tells a different story. recent research They found that cannabis use was “associated with same-day improvements in self-reported sleep quality, but not pain or depressive symptoms, although sleep improvements occurred in the context of increased frequency of cannabis use; “Increasing the risk of cannabis use disorder.”