London, United Kingdom: Patients with insomnia report improvements in their sleep quality and reduced anxiety following their use of medical cannabis products, according to data published in the journal PLOS Mental Health.
British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in 124 insomnia patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (British health care providers may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Patients’ outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Study participants primarily consumed THC-dominant herbal cannabis.
Investigators reported that cannabis use was associated with improved outcomes “across multiple metrics,” including better sleep quality, reduced anxiety, and improved health-related quality of life. Fewer than one in ten participants reported any adverse events from cannabis. The most frequently reported side effects were dry mouth and fatigue
The study’s authors concluded: “This case series study investigated the outcomes of insomnia patients prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products over an 18-month period. The findings indicate a promising association between cannabis-based medicinal product treatment and improvements in sleep-specific outcomes and general HRQoL [health-related quality of life] measures. … These findings can be used to inform future RCTs [randomized controlled trials].”
Placebo-controlled clinical trial data have previously affirmed the efficacy of plant-derived cannabis extracts in patients with chronic insomnia. Separate data reports that nearly 40 percent of insomnia patients either reduce or eliminate their use of prescription sleep aids following their use of cannabis.
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among those enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant epilepsy, cancer-related pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, hypermobility disorders, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, substance use disorders, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcomes analysis for insomnia,” appears in PLOS Mental Health. Additional information on cannabis and insomnia is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.