Sleep is important for our health. Good quality sleep helps us maintain our mental and physical health. Lack of good quality sleep can pose risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, anxiety, depression and many more diseases.
The National Sleep Foundation said that 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S have sleep disorder. Forty percent of the population experiences insomnia and 15% of those are chronic.
Troubles with sleeping has become very common especially for adults. With this, many have opted to sleeping pills and other medications. And many have turned to cannabis. Cannabis has been effective in treating sleeping problems with little to no side effects. It has analgesic properties to relieve chronic pain, and also soothes a stressed mind and body. With the increasing popularity of marijuana for medical use around the United States, weed delivery in Hollywood has grown day to day.
What Does The Research Say?
Dr. Matt Roman, a medical marijuana physician, said that “Marijuana is an effective sleep aid because it restores a person’s natural sleep cycle, which so often falls out of sync with our schedules in today’s modern lifestyles.”
An anecdotal research done in Australia suggested that cannabis could provide efficacious treatment to chronic insomnia. Funded by medical marijuana company Zelira Therapeutic, the University of Western Australia conducted this study including 23 chronic insomnia patients. The patients were given an active dose of placebo and an active dose of marijuana, both in the forms of tinctures. Scientists measured the patients’ quality of sleep through different channels. They used digital trackers, subjective responses, and ISI (Insomnia Severity Index). ISI is a clinical tool used for the registration of insomnia symptoms.
Those who have taken the marijuana tinctures dropped their insomnia symptoms by 26% compared to the placebo patients. They also fell asleep faster and longer. Upon waking up, they experienced feeling less tired, less stressed, less groggy and refreshed.
“This study addresses the most thorough clinical trial ever undertaken to assess the therapeutic potential of medicinal cannabis to treat the symptoms of chronic insomnia. The way that ZLT-101 treatment accomplished measurably critical, dose responsive improvements across a broad range of key insomnia indices is impressive, especially given the relatively short two-week dosing window,” said by the lead scientist Peter Eastwood.
Another study was conducted in the Rambam Institute of Pain Medicine in Haifa, Israel. The study is titled “Medical cannabis and insomnia in older adults with chronic pain: a cross-sectional study.”
A 128-person study found that marijuana is useful for chronic pain sufferers that have trouble sleeping at night. The study includes patients with PTSD, anxiety, clinical dementia, cancer patients who received chemotherapy, sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and traumatic brain injury. Of the 128 patients included in the research, 62 were non-marijuana users and 66 were classified as users. When the two groups are compared, medical marijuana users are less likely to have disrupted sleep. Based on the results, scientists urged for more studies to examine the right dose for patients with high sleep issues.
The Importance of Cannabis Strains
Cannabis has different strains. Some makes you active. Some will make you calm and sedated. What type of cannabinoids do you need to induce sleep?
Marijuana contains two different cannabinoids:
Cannabidiol (CBD) – non-psychoactive (doesn’t give you the “high” effect), it gives you many health benefits
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – psychoactive (causes the “high” feeling)
The cannabinoid needed for inducing sleep is more THC than CBD. A 2008 study revealed that high level of THC cannabis reduces the amount of REM sleep and occurrence of nightmares specially for PTSD patients. THC reportedly promotes sleep through our CB1 receptors in the endocannabinoid system. Our endocannabinoid system plays a big role in many of our biological function. These functions include hormonal functions and the regulation of our pain and appetite. You may notice that if we are not relaxed, it’s harder to sleep.
Cannabis also has different strains: indica, sativa and hybrid. If you’ve talked to your doctor and you’re on your way to try medical marijuana for your insomnia, it is time to choose the best strain.
The three strains you will commonly encounter are:
Indica – soothing and relaxing strain
Sativa – this strain makes people happy, excited, active and energized
Hybrids – a combination of Indica and sativa
It is vital to know the best strain suited for your needs before you call for a cannabis delivery. You can ask people at a local dispensary or do your research.
A Harvard-trained physician and cannabis specialist, Dr. Jordan Tishler, advised a strain with less than 20% THC. Anything more than twenty percent can make you feel muzzy and sleepy the next day. He also recommends the Indica strain for inducing sleep.
How to Consume Cannabis For a Good Night’s Sleep?
Generally, people consume cannabis by smoking a pipe or a joint. If you don’t like smoking and wanted to ingest in a healthier way, you can try vaporizers or tinctures. Timing is also important to effectively get the best out of cannabis. Doctors would advise to ingest cannabis at least an hour before bedtime.
Conclusion
Smoking in general is a known health risk and should be done with caution. It is essential to talk to your physician about your sleep cycles. Of course it’s not the same for everyone, what works for others may not work for you. It might take some time to determine the right dosage for you. So it’s best to not try it on a work week! Make sure to observe how you feel after each ingestion. It is also important to choose a method that is most comforting. These methods can vary form person to person.
While it’s good to seek aid to cannabis for inducing sleep, nothing beats practicing good sleep hygiene and healthy lifestyle that promotes healthy sleep. Apart from going to a marijuana delivery service for cannabis relief, it’s good to practice long-term solutions to sleeping problems. It can be focusing on a good sleeping pattern, avoiding consumption of large meals before bed, exercising regularly and avoiding caffeine.
