Cannabis for Sleep Risks and Benefits

Cannabis, also called marijuana, is widely used as a sleep aid, both recreationally and Cannabiz among medical users. Around 70% of young adults that casually use cannabis report that they do so to help them sleep. Among people who use cannabis for medical reasons, such as pain relief, as many as 85% say it improves their sleep.

Research into cannabis as a sleep aid is still developing. Cannabis may help relieve insomnia when used occasionally, though researchers are unsure whether long-term use is ultimately beneficial or detrimental for sleep quality.

Does Cannabis Help You Sleep?
Cannabis appears to improve sleep in certain cases. For people with certain conditions

such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and multiple sclerosis, cannabis may help them fall asleep faster, wake up less during the night, and enjoy better sleep quality overall. A recent study also found that cannabis effectively relieves symptoms for people with restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Many people use cannabis to self-treat insomnia, anxiety, and pain. Among these users, the effectiveness of cannabis for sleep is more ambivalent, though a study conducted on individuals with insomnia found that many participants reported relief from their symptoms .The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.

Some studies have found a distinction between daily users and less frequent, non-daily users in how cannabis affects their sleep. Those who use cannabis daily are more likely to report more sleep problems than occasional users or people who do not use cannabis at all. Non-daily users report fewer sleep issues than both daily users and non-users.