Santa Monica, CA: Cannabis use by veterans with post-traumatic stress is linked to reduced stress and better same-night sleep quality, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
A team of investigators affiliated with the RAND Institute and the University of Southern California assessed cannabis and alcohol consumption on stress and sleep quality in a cohort of 74 recently discharged military veterans with elevated post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Study participants provided baseline data and completed daily follow-up assessments for three months.
On days when subjects acknowledged using cannabis, they reported “lowers levels of stress that day … and better sleep quality that night.” By contrast, subjects who consumed greater levels of alcoholic drinks during the day reported “poorer sleep quality that same evening.”
Researchers concluded: “While alcohol use appears to perpetuate a reinforcing cycle of stress and poor sleep, cannabis use may offer short-term stress relief and perceived sleep benefits. … Future research should aim to elucidate the chronic effects of cannabis use on sleep and stress to guide evidence-based recommendations for veterans seeking to manage these issues.”
The study’s conclusions are consistent with those of others, finding that cannabis products reduce levels of anxiety and provide other improvements in patients with post-traumatic stress.
Thirty-nine percent of military veterans say that they “know a veteran” who is using cannabis medicinally, and 75 percent say that they “would be interested in using cannabis or cannabinoid products as a treatment option if it were available.”
Full text of the study, “Daily associations between sleep quality, stress, and cannabis or alcohol use among veterans,” appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Additional information on the use of cannabis for post-traumatic stress is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids. Further information on cannabis use among veterans is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Veterans Issues.’