A study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research pointed to potential therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis for sleep quality. The findings suggested that medical cannabis use may be especially helpful for individuals with chronic health conditions.
The study participants included 137 adults who were new referrals for medical cannabis in Pennsylvania. They completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline and then at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The PSQI consisted of 19 self-rated items that produced seven component scores reflecting sleep latency, sleep duration, subjective sleep quality, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medications, and daytime dysfunction. The researchers scored each component on a 0-3 scale. Higher scores indicated more significant sleep disturbance. The researchers used linear mixed-effect models to determine changes in PSQI global and subscale scores over time. They also evaluated additional models to examine associations among the preferred route (extracts, tinctures, capsules, etc.), the reason for the referring condition (anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, chronic pain, etc.), and differences in observed outcomes.
The study indicated that global sleep quality scores (where higher values indicate poorer sleep quality) were significantly higher at baseline than at each follow-up point. The researchers noted the most substantial changes observed between baseline and the three-month assessment. The observed improvements in global sleep quality scores were consistent across all seven PSQI subdomains, including duration, sleep latency, and disturbances. The patients sustained improvements across the remainder of the study period, with no significant differences between follow-up intervals. The researchers did not observe any significant differences among the follow-up assessments.
The study did not find any significant relationships between sleep quality scores and route of administration or referring condition. The findings suggested that medical cannabis may be associated with improvements in subjective sleep quality following initiation. Additional research using objective sleep measures and controlled designs is needed to clarify MC's role in sleep quality.
Sources: Journal of Cannabis Research, NORML
