Insomnia defines as difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep. Specifically, it occurs when time and conditions are perfect for sleeping. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, insomnia can be both a clinical issue and a series of symptoms, so you can experience insomnia symptoms without actually having clinical insomnia. Symptoms need addressing, as they can disrupt and undermine sleep.
More and more people are visiting a cannabis dispensary to find relief for insomnia. Both insomnia disorder and insomnia symptoms can wreak havoc on daily life, leaving people weak, sickly, and unable to function in daily life. Insomnia can present suddenly and resolve itself just as quickly. It is only chronic when sufferers cannot sleep properly for at least three nights a week and this for at least three months.
Insomnia, both the disorder and the symptoms of it, cause trouble falling and staying asleep, waking during the night, waking too early, and waking fatigued. Victims struggle to stay awake during the day. They are irritable. Moody. They struggle with concentration, memory, and focus. They have little to no motivation, energy, interest, or social needs. They are anxious, tense, in pain, and suffer stomach upset.
How Cannabis Helps
Anecdotal evidence suggests that many use weed to treat insomnia. In fact, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, it proves a primary reason most people use it, along with anxiety, pain, and depression, all of which co-occur happily with insomnia. Many are reducing, even eliminating, prescribed and over-the-counter sleep drugs, which are addictive, harmful, and often fatal.
Science agrees with the anecdotes. Research into cannabis and its effect on sleep has been ongoing for decades, since at least the 1970s. Results show weed having a significant impact on all aspects of sleep, most notably making it faster and easier to fall asleep. It also keeps people sleeping for longer, as well as deeper. Studies have much to say about it:
The Oft-Sedating Effect of Cannabis
People always believed the sedative nature of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, responsible for the sleepiness of some cannabis strains. While THC does have sedative properties, we know now that often THC-heavy strains contain sleep-inducing terpenes too, making them doubly so. Indeed, THC on its own was the focus of most early studies into cannabis and its ability to make drowsy.
The Role of Terpenes in Sleep
Cannabinoids are not the only active compounds in cannabis affecting sleep. Turns out, terpenes play a rather large role in a strain’s sleepiness too. Terpenes are responsible for smell and flavor, but they also offer therapeutic benefits, and an abundance of them. The most prominent include the sedatives myrcene, limonene, and terpineol. Pinene puts you to sleep quickly and phytol keeps you there longer.
The Emergence of Sleepy CBD
Recent studies prove the ability of cannabidiol, or CBD, in putting patients to sleep. It effectively improves insomnia symptoms directly and indirectly, by addressing other conditions that disrupt sleep, such as severe pain or anxiety. According to a 2018 study in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, CBD provides even more relief from these and other insomnia symptoms than even THC.
Effect of Cannabis on Comorbid Insomnia
Insomnia can be acute. It can be chronic. It can be comorbid insomnia too, the result of another medical issue keeping you awake. Much tossing and turning is comorbid, but fortunately, cannabis can treat these symptoms so that you can get some sleep. Whether caused by medication or the disease itself, smoking weed can provide immediate relief from any comorbidities keeping you up, such as these:
Also, read How to apply for Marijuana Card?
Pain
Pain is a leading cause of insomnia. The ability of cannabis to treat pain is its most famous use and a robust body of research supports this claim. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a 2014 study found cannabis reduced pain in participants significantly, with about half reporting improved sleep, as well. In fact, pain management is a major reason why people use marijuana in the first place.
Anxiety
Anxiety is another major cause of sleep loss, often occurring simultaneously with other insomnia-causing issues. It drives insomnia in large numbers of cases and is another reason for the popularity of “weed delivery” in search engines. Anyone using marijuana knows well its relaxing, stress-relieving effects. Many studies prove its anxiolytic properties in support of this evidence.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Studies are showing how marijuana helps to alleviate all of the symptoms associated with PTSD. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, PTSD often co-occurs with REM sleep disorder, insomnia, even extreme nightmares. Several studies prove weed makes it easier to fall asleep, reduces nightmares, and even suppresses excessive REM sleep. As such, marijuana is likely best for this issue.
Cancer
The cancer-fighting effects of cannabis are among its most recognizable uses. It helps to treat the side effects of harsh cancer treatments. It alleviates pain, quells nausea, lowers anxiety, and boosts appetite, all essential for treating this disease and all drivers of insomnia on a massive scale. By reducing these symptoms, cancer patients are able to sleep better and more capably manage treatment.
Final Thoughts
Cannabis shows much promise in treating other comorbid insomnia symptoms too, not only these. As knowledge about its uses grows, science will better understand its capacity for regulating sleep problems and eliminating all issues that prevent crucial shut-eye. Until then, those struggling to drift off are happy to rely on cannabis for help, as delivery numbers and dispensary visits continuously prove.
