Go to sleep: Study shows medicinal weed helped chronic insomniacs get some shut-eye

Insomniacs who received nightly sublingual administration of a cannabinoid extract managed to get more and better sleep, suggests a new Australian study.

Investigators found that the extract was “well-tolerated and improves insomnia symptoms and sleep quality in individuals with chronic insomnia symptoms,” notes a study abstract, published online this month in Sleep.

Participants included those who had been experiencing chronic insomnia symptoms for at least three months. They received either the extract or a placebo over a two-week period.

Comparing the effects of the extract to a placebo, researchers considered self-reports from participants, measurements of sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time and sleep efficiency, and self-reports of sleep quality and feeling rested upon waking. One person did not finish the study.

The remaining participants, the vast majority of whom were female, did not report any serious adverse outcomes. There were, however, 40 mild, non-serious, adverse events — 36 of those involving subjects being administered the extract — “with all but one resolving overnight or soon after waking,” the study abstract reports.

In general, compared to those participant who received the placebo, the extract group experienced decreased insomnia severity index and self-reported sleep onset latency, as well as increased self-reported total sleep time and feeling of being rested on waking.

According to the American Sleep Association (ASA), some research indicates CBD may interact with specific endocannabinoid receptors, potentially affecting the sleep/wake cycle. Additionally, CBD may decrease anxiety and pain, “which can both interfere with restful sleep. By reducing certain symptoms, it’s also possible that sleep may improve,” the ASA adds.

In a study published two years ago, investigators exploring whether or not CBD helps improve sleep and/or anxiety in a clinical population found that sleep scores improved within the first month in two-thirds of patients. That said, the scores “fluctuated over time,” study authors wrote.