Weed may not ease sleep problems, especially for regular users, studies say

Unfortunately, science isn't quite as convinced about the positive effects of cannabis on our ability to catch some Z's. Research since the 1970s has shown mixed results on weed's sleep-aiding benefits. A 2018 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study -- the gold standard -- found no benefit from CBD on sleep in healthy volunteers. Other studies have also found high rates of insomnia when withdrawing from nightly use.
"We know from studies of recreational users of cannabis that sleep disturbances are common when they are attempting to quit cannabis use," said sleep psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Bhanuprakash Kolla, who works in the Center for Sleep Medicine and the Division of Addiction Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
"Up to two-thirds of them report sleep disturbances when they stop cannabis use, and it is a frequent reason for relapse to cannabis use," Kolla said. "Therefore, cannabis can set up a pattern where it is minimally helpful for sleep in the short term and then disrupt sleep, making it difficult to stop use in the medium to long term."
Research has also suggested that frequency of use may be a key factor as to why cannabis begins to fail as a sleep aid. For example, a small 2014 survey of marijuana users and non-users found only 10% of occasional users suffered from insomnia, while 39% of daily users said they experienced significant bouts of insomnia.
However, the survey found that when depression and anxiety levels were factored in, the differences disappeared. Does that mean weed is good for sleep if you're depressed or anxious, but bad for sleep if you're not? Could the species of cannabis play a role? Is there a difference between extracted compounds and smoking the entire plant?
The short answer is that researchers have a lot more work to do in this area.

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