Northwestern University 35-Year Study Challenges Cannabis Sleep Beliefs
This study challenges the common belief that cannabis helps people sleep better,
said Thanh-Huyen Vu, research associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Research spanning 35 years and released in the American Medical Association publication JAMA Network Open revealed that marijuana consumption correlates with lower objectively evaluated sleep quality, despite subjects typically failing to recognize any decline in their rest.
For decades, cannabis has been touted for its soporific effect, with users assuming a joint in the evening leads to sound sleep. To test this presumption, researchers tracked participants from young adulthood to middle age. Study volunteers strapped sleep monitors to their wrists and completed related surveys, giving researchers comparative data to look at actual rest side-by-side with reported sleep.
University Researchers Contrast Perceived Rest With Actual Sleep Monitor Data
The wrist monitors revealed that cannabis users frequently suffer sleep disruptions that go unnoticed by the individuals experiencing them. Our findings suggest cannabis may actually be associated with poorer sleep quality, even if people don’t perceive those changes,
Vu explained. The research team concluded that cannabis-related sleep disruptions often go unnoticed by users themselves.
While the overall scientific consensus remains unsettled, the research could strengthen arguments indicating marijuana offers no benefit for insomnia sufferers.
Medical Journal Reviews Show Divided Findings on Insomnia and Sleep Disorders
In a recent paper published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, researchers at Universidad Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires and the University of Manitoba stated they could not confirm that the drug either improves sleep
or leads to better daytime functioning.
The jury largely remains out on whether the drug helps against insomnia.
Conversely, a separate team at Imperial College London found last year that cannabis helped over 100 test participants who reported having a sleep disorder. Despite these contrasting outcomes, researchers say there is no evidence to suggest it should be prescribed to insomnia patients.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cannabis and Sleep Quality
How did researchers measure sleep quality in the Northwestern University study?
By following subjects from their early adulthood into middle age, investigators gathered comparative metrics by having participants wear wrist sleep sensors while simultaneously filling out questionnaires that evaluated both perceived rest and actual slumber duration.
What did the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews conclude about cannabis?
Researchers at Universidad Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires and the University of Manitoba stated they could not confirm that the drug either improves sleep
or leads to better daytime functioning.
How many participants did Imperial College London evaluate for sleep disorders?
More than 100 subjects who stated they suffered from a sleep problem experienced positive effects from cannabis, according to an evaluation conducted by researchers at Imperial College London.
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