A new study from the UK has found that people who have trouble sleeping may benefit from medical cannabis.
The research, published in the journal PLOS Mental Health, followed 124 people with insomnia who were treated with cannabis-based medical products for up to 18 months.
The results showed that many of these patients experienced better sleep and improvements in their overall mental health.
Insomnia is a very common problem. About one in three people have trouble falling or staying asleep, and 1 in 10 adults are diagnosed with insomnia disorder. While there are some treatments and medications for insomnia, they can be hard to access and may cause side effects like addiction.
That’s why researchers are looking into new options—like medical cannabis—to help those who don’t respond well to traditional methods.
The team, led by Arushika Aggarwal from Imperial College London, looked at how patients felt about their sleep, anxiety, depression, and quality of life while taking medical cannabis.
Over the course of 18 months, patients said they slept better, felt less anxious or depressed, and even had less pain. These benefits appeared to last throughout the treatment period.
However, like any treatment, there were some side effects. About 9% of patients experienced issues such as tiredness, dry mouth, or even insomnia itself. Still, no serious or life-threatening problems were reported.
Dr. Simon Erridge, a co-author of the study and Research Director at Curaleaf Clinic, explained that this long-term study shows that medical cannabis might help people sleep better and feel less anxious.
He pointed out that this option could be helpful for patients who have not had success with traditional sleep aids. But he also said that more rigorous testing, such as randomized controlled trials, is still needed to make sure cannabis-based products are safe and effective in the long run.
Dr. Erridge also mentioned that it was interesting to see signs that some patients might build a tolerance to the cannabis treatment over time. This means that doctors will need to carefully monitor patients and adjust treatments based on individual needs.
In conclusion, this research offers hopeful news for people who struggle with insomnia. While it’s not yet a proven cure, medical cannabis could become a useful alternative, especially when other treatments don’t work.
More research will help us better understand the benefits and risks, but this study offers an important first look at how cannabis might help improve sleep and mental health.
The study is published in PLOS Mental Health.
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