Insomnia patients using cannabis-based medical products reported better sleep quality, as well as reduced anxiety, depression, and pain.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Sustained sleep improvements – Insomnia patients using cannabis-based medical products reported better sleep quality after up to 18 months of treatment.
- Broader health benefits – Patients also experienced reduced anxiety, depression, and pain, with only mild, non-life-threatening side effects such as fatigue or dry mouth.
- Need for further trials – While the findings suggest cannabis-based therapies could be a valuable option when standard treatments fail, researchers emphasize the importance of randomized controlled trials and ongoing patient monitoring.
Insomnia patients taking cannabis-based medical products reported better quality sleep after up to 18 months of treatment, according to a study published in Plos Mental Health.
About one out of every three people has some trouble getting a good night’s rest, and 10 percent of adults meet the criteria for an insomnia disorder. But current treatments can be difficult to obtain, and the drugs approved for insomnia run the risk of dependence.
To understand how cannabis-based medical products might affect insomnia symptoms, researchers from Imperial College London analyzed a set of 124 insomnia patients taking medical cannabis products. They examined the patient’s reports of their sleep quality, anxiety/depression, and quality of life changes between one and 18 months of treatment.
The patients reported improved sleep quality that lasted over the 18 months of treatment. They also showed significant improvements in anxiety/depression as well as reporting less pain. About nine percent of the patients reported adverse effects such as fatigue, insomnia, or dry mouth, but none of the side effects were life-threatening. While randomized controlled trials will be needed to prove that the products are safe and effective, the authors suggest that cannabis-based medical products could improve sleep quality in insomnia patients.
“Over an 18-month period, our study showed that treatment for insomnia with cannabis-based medicinal products was associated with sustained improvements in subjective sleep quality and anxiety symptoms,” said co-author Dr Simon Erridge, research director at Curaleaf Clinic. “These findings support the potential role of medical cannabis as a medical option where conventional treatments have proven ineffective, though further randomized trials are needed to confirm long-term efficacy.”
He added: “Conducting this long-term study provided valuable real-world evidence on patient outcomes that go beyond what we typically see in short-term trials. It was particularly interesting to observe signs of potential tolerance over time, which highlights the importance of continued monitoring and individualized treatment plans.”
