Level of Evidence: Empirical

Many people are turning to cannabis as an option to help improve their sleep; for some, this may be known as insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep. This can result in several additional symptoms including:

• Daytime fatigue
• Worsened mood, depression, anxiety
• Increased irritability
• Reduced capacity to focus on tasks and poorer memory

There are limited prescription medication options to treat insomnia and many of these medications have intolerable side effects. Because of this, more individuals are turning to cannabis to help them sleep. Current cannabis research has some interesting findings including:

• Research participants have shown mixed results regarding cannabis and its effect on sleep. Some individuals find cannabis helpful and others don’t. This may indicate that you need to trial different cannabis products to find the one that works for you.
• Anecdotally, the cannabis community finds cannabis products with cannabinol (CBN) helpful for sleep. However, there is limited research about CBN to conclude that it can be used to help with sleep.

Make sure to connect with a knowledgeable pharmacist for a personalized sleep assessment!

References for the above material are highlighted down below

Cannabis use may not be appropriate for you if have one or more of the following:

• A history or family history of psychosis in the family
• Currently taking a blood thinner such as Warfarin
• Reduced liver function
• History of addiction
• A complex medication regimen (cannabis can interfere with the metabolism of several classes of medications)
• Sedating medications such as benzodiazepines (such as lorazepam) and/or opioids (such as Percocet)

Make sure to talk to a knowledgeable healthcare professional to make sure cannabis is safe for you!

Cannabis products come in a variety of different formulations such as oils, capsules, creams, dried flower, and concentrates. With an extensive number of products available on the market, it can be quite confusing to select a product that may work for you. Our pharmacists are trained to assess which cannabis products can be safe and effective for you. Reach out to a Pharmacist today for a consultation!