Australian Study Finds Medical Cannabis Use Improves Sleep
To some people, insomnia may not seem like a serious health condition, however, anyone who suffers from major insomnia will be the first to point out that it can have a negative and significant impact on a person’s life and their overall well-being.
The Mayo Clinic defines insomnia as “a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.” Chronic insomnia occurs when the sleep condition lasts longer than a month.
In addition to making a person feel tired and drained throughout the day, insomnia can also be an indicator of a person experiencing one or more other potentially serious health conditions. A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Sydney recently conducted a study that found that after one year of medical cannabis use, subjects experienced improved sleep.
The results of the study were published in the academic database PLOS One earlier this month.
“We aimed to assess overall health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, and motor function in a large real-world sample of patients prescribed medicinal cannabis. We previously found all patient-reported outcomes improved in the first 3-months and hypothesised that improvements would be maintained to 12-months.” the researchers stated.
“The QUEST Initiative, a multicentre prospective study, recruited adult patients with any chronic health condition newly prescribed medicinal cannabis oil between November 2020 and December 2021. Participants identified by 114 clinicians across Australia completed validated questionnaires at baseline, then 2-weeks titration, and 1-,2-,3-,5-,7-,9- and 12-months follow-up.” the researchers stated about their study’s methodology.
“Statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in overall health-related quality of life, fatigue, and sleep disturbance were maintained over 12-months in patients prescribed medical cannabis for chronic health conditions. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain also improved over time for those with corresponding health conditions.” the researchers concluded.
