A new study funded by the federal government found that people with anxiety sleep better on days they use marijuana than when they drink alcohol or do nothing.
Researchers from the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, as well as the University of Haifa, analyzed 347 individuals who had used cannabis to treat anxiety. The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Review. Researchers wanted to know how marijuana or alcohol use, or neither, could affect sleep on any given day.
Participants were asked to complete daily surveys, describing their drug use and sleep experiences the night before, for 30 consecutive days. Researchers compared the results of non-use, cannabis-only, alcohol-only and co-use day.
The authors of the study, which was funded by a National Institutes of Health Grant, reported that participants slept better after using cannabis alone or with alcohol, but not the other way around.
The study found a correlation between marijuana and alcohol consumption and sleep quality. The study also found that people who use marijuana and alcohol more often reported better sleep on days they used only cannabis, compared with those who don’t.
Researchers said that the study used naturalistic data to replicate previous experimental findings in individuals without anxiety or sleep problems. The researchers found that cannabis was associated with a higher subjective sleep-quality. “The results expand upon other research to suggest that more frequent use of alcohol and cannabis may moderate daily associations of cannabis use and sleep, potentially through pharmacokinetics and cross-sensitization.”
Researchers said that their hypothesis regarding the impact of marijuana alone on sleep has been “confirmed”, as both cannabis use only and co-use were “linked to higher perceptions of sleep quality than non-use.”
They said that sleep quality was significantly better after days of cannabis-only use compared with days of co-use. These findings are further evidence that cannabis can improve sleep.
The study confirmed that alcohol does not improve sleep quality in comparison to cannabis.
The research showed that, despite the fact that people who used marijuana and alcohol more frequently reported a worsening of sleep, cannabis’ effects alone didn’t diminish over time. This suggests that tolerance does not affect sleep quality.
The study found that cannabis users who use it frequently have better sleep. This could be because frequent cannabis users use higher doses, which are linked to better sleep. Further research is needed to better understand the sleep effects of various cannabis ratios and combinations.
The simple slope analysis revealed that no slope was different from zero and that no difference existed in sleep quality between those who used cannabis more frequently and those who did not. This contradicts a different interpretation of the interaction, which is that cannabis users experience withdrawal-related problems in sleep after non-use.
Researchers said that because the study collected data from people who used cannabis in different ways (both with regard to dosage and product choice), there are still questions regarding how cannabinoid concentrations and profiles may affect results. Future clinical trials will help fill these knowledge gaps.
They wrote: “There is a pressing need for experiments to investigate the effects of alcohol and cannabis on sleep.” Our study suggests cannabis could have a positive effect on sleep quality for people who intend to use cannabis as a way to cope with anxiety.
The study concluded that “day-to-day drinking alcohol could have a less significant impact on sleep for this population when it is not combined with cannabis. Alcohol may also reduce the positive effects of cannabis when consumed together.” Further research is required to examine the role of frequency in moderating associations between substance use and sleep. This is especially important for populations who use cannabis to deal with anxiety, as they may also be more prone to cannabis and alcohol misuse.
In a separate survey, cannabis users with sleep problems reported that preferred marijuana to other sleep aids for getting to sleep. They also reported better results the next day and fewer side-effects. The most popular products were vaping or smoking joints that contained CBD, THC and the terpene Myrcene.
Other studies have looked at the quality of sleep and consumers generally say that marijuana improves their sleep. In two recent studies, one involved people with chronic illnesses, and the other looked at people with neurological disorders. Both found that cannabis improved sleep quality.
In a 2019 study, people tend to buy fewer OTC sleeping medications when they are able to access marijuana. The authors of this study stated that “cannabis seems to compete favorably against OTC sleep medications, especially those containing doxylamine and diphenhydramine, which comprise 87.4% market share for OTC sleeping aids.”
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The post People with Anxiety Report Better sleep On Days They Use Marijuana, Compared To Alcohol Or No Marijuana At All, Study Results first appeared on Marijuana Minute.
