Indica and indica hybrid strains were predominantly the most utilized for insomnia management, while sativa and sativa hybrid strains were the least favored for addressing insomnia symptoms. Table 1 displays descriptive statistics regarding the percentage of various strain categories (such as predominant sativa, sativa hybrid, predominant indica, indica hybrid, balanced hybrid, and cannabidiol CBD) utilized for insomnia symptom management across 24,189 monitored sessions. Our main inferential analysis cannabis legalization explained concentrated on how effective cannabis is perceived to be in treating insomnia symptoms. Initially, we conducted a descriptive analysis of the dataset, which provided insights into the specific cannabis usage patterns for addressing insomnia symptoms. The participant sample consisted of 42.6% (422/991) who identified as male and 56.1% (556/991) who identified as female, with 1.3% (13/991) of participants not reporting their gender, and ages varied from 18 to 74 years (mean age 36.32, SD 11.65). This research investigated data from individuals who utilized medicinal cannabis to alleviate the severity of insomnia symptoms associated with the condition.
RCTs are limited in cannabis research, so we are stuck with mostly observational studies. This figure highlights the percentage of individuals diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders within the past year, comparing cannabis users and non-users. Cases like this have been increasingly seen, raising relevant questions about the true effects of cannabis on depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health outcomes. The authors declare no conflicts of interest and have no financial relationships with any pharmaceutical or cannabis companies. Oct. 27, 2021 — Researchers tested the effectiveness of affordable, interactive robotic pet cats to improve mood, behavior and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate dementia. Mar. 18, 2022 — A new study shows that using cannabis products to treat pain, anxiety and depression failed to improve these symptoms while doubling the risk of developing the addictive symptoms of cannabis use …
Brain networks involved in cognitive control exhibit functional connectivity in chronic users of cannabis. An analysis of how acute and chronic cannabinoid exposure influences the stress response. Evidence confirms that the AKT1 (rs) genotype affects the likelihood of psychosis among cannabis users. A naturalistic study exploring how cannabis is perceived to affect negative emotions.
Does cannabis provide benefits for conditions such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, or sleep apnea?

There were 11 (39%) experimental clinical trial studies (Table 3A) and 17 (61%) observational investigations (Table 3B) evaluating the effects of cannabis on overall sleep, with most employing self-reported questionnaires (surveys). The initial search dated from January 1946 to December 2020 using 2 databases (MEDLINE and EMBASE) identified 389 articles. The parameters for sleep analysis included reduced or increased sleep latency, decreased time spent awake after falling asleep, increased or decreased total sleep time, and changes in stage 3 or reported time in rapid eye movement sleep. Studies varied in their use of either objective polysomnographic findings or patient-reported outcomes. A trial flow diagram shows the number of identified, screened, and included studies.
The findings revealed that OEA administration led to a reduction in overall sleep duration, particularly affecting REM sleep, regardless of the route of administration. Apart from their well-known benefits in alleviating chemotherapy-related symptoms, cannabinoids are increasingly used to treat medical conditions including chronic pain, cancer, anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy . For instance, Δ9-THC, the mind-altering element of Cannabis, functions as a partial agonist of the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, whereas CBD, the second most prevalent phytocannabinoid, shows a limited affinity for CB1 or CB2 receptors, despite having the same molecular formula as Δ9-THC. The term cannabinoids, or phytocannabinoids, commonly refers to approximately 120 or more compounds identified in the trichomes of Cannabis sativa.
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is present in the body between smoking sessions in occasional non-daily cannabis users. Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife. Current addiction reports, 9(4), 473–485.
Effect of Cannabinoids on Sleep and Sleep Architecture
There is growing interest in the influence of CBD on sleep regulation, as low doses tend to enhance sleep while higher doses may cause sedation. Recent research suggests that CBD acts as an inverse agonist at the CB2 receptor, possibly clarifying its anti-inflammatory effects, given the presence of CB2 receptors in immune cells, with inhibition potentially leading to decreased inflammation. To support these results, additional well-structured trials are necessary, involving larger and more varied clinical groups, including women and those experiencing non-trauma-related nightmare disorders. Despite methodological issues, many cannabis users indicate that improvements in sleep quality serve as a significant motivator for their usage.
Notably, studies have revealed heightened levels of 2-AG in sleep-deprived healthy young adults . The authors thank the assistance provided by Ana Paula Fernandes. Subsequently, the AASM issued a new response article cautioning against the use of cannabis for OSA, stating that the current evidence is not yet sufficient to treat this disease. However, as pointed out by French authors,71,72 the self-reported evaluation of the benefit of cannabis use could have been distorted by the psychoactive properties of cannabis.

Frequently Asked Questions
Medical cannabis has been substituted for pharmaceutical medications in the treatment of pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders. The America Insomnia Survey (AIS) assessed nighttime insomnia symptoms and perceived health. Liu Y, Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, Cunningham TJ, Lu H, Croft B. Healthy sleep duration prevalence among adults—United States, 2014. Most participants indicated they had been using cannabis for sleep for over a year, making it uncertain how well these findings apply to less experienced users.
Effect of Mixed Cannabinoid Formulations on Insomnia
The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Forty mild, nonserious, adverse events were reported (36 during ZTL-101) with all but one resolving overnight or soon after waking. No serious adverse events were reported. Adjusted mean differences between placebo and ZTL-101 were calculated. Summary of effect of cannabis and THC on sleep architecture (short term, long term and effects of withdrawal of cannabis)
The findings from this study do not demonstrate a convincing beneficial effect of CBD on RBD; rather, they highlight the waxing and waning natural history of RBD. Enactment of these dreams can result in punching, kicking, vocalisation and falling out of bed.56 RBD frequently causes injury to the individual or their bed partner.57 Although based on small randomised trials, recommended treatments for RBD include clonazepam and melatonin.58 However, the success of these medications is limited, with benefits often waning over time. The most frequent adverse events reported were sleepiness, headache, nausea/vomiting and dizziness, and the majority of the events were rated as mild (73%), with only 2% rated as severe.50 No serious adverse events were reported in the proof of concept trial,49 and one possibly treatment related (diarrhea and vomiting requiring hospitalization) was reported in the randomized control trial.50 On balance, it is apparent from the limited data in healthy, predominantly cannabis naïve participants, that the evidence in relation to the effect of cannabinoids on sleep quality is mixed and more well-controlled studies of individual and combined cannabinoids in broad and refined populations are required. As the review was focused on the utility of cannabis for clinical use, the search was limited to clinical research, except in the cases of obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia where some preclinical data is discussed.
Recent findings

Inclusion criteria were article of any type, published in English, a target population of cannabis users, and reported data on cannabis effect on sleep and sleep disorders. It is worth noting that the focus of the current review was limited to clinical studies where sleep or a sleep disorder symptom was the focus. As very few randomized controlled trials have been conducted, much of the available evidence arises from uncontrolled, unblinded trials of short duration, and case series. However, like most studies investigating RBD, this study relied on reports of RBD activity frequency from the participant or bedpartner.
In contrast, clinical trials on humans using the synthetic cannabinoid dronabinol have reported limited success. A mixture of THC and CBD reduced total sleep time and REM sleep duration and delayed REM sleep onset without changing subjective sleep quality. We found that, despite its widespread use, there’s not enough research yet to support the use of medical cannabis to treat sleep disorders.
Cannabis users self-reported statistically significantly healthier scores than non-cannabis users in the global PSQI as well as the specific domains of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, as well as sleep disturbances. Our study comprised 173 participants, 42 cannabis users and 131 non-cannabis users, who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the most common self-reported measure of sleep quality. Cannabis species and cannabinoid concentration preference among sleep-disturbed medicinal cannabis users. Effect of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on nocturnal sleep and early-morning behavior in young adults. Therapeutic uses of cannabis on sleep disorders and related conditions.