Particular strains of marijuana may help you fall asleep, but that doesn’t mean you will wake up well rested. Researchers have determined that while frequent users might believe that it’s necessary to smoke before sleep, the consistent use of marijuana is actually correlated with sleep disturbance. If you blaze daily, you’re going to be getting up groggy eyed in the morning.
In the Journal of Addictive Diseases, the researchers explain that to determine these results, 98 subjects, predominantly in their early twenties, were divided into groups of daily users: people who have smoked at least once in the past month, and those who never use marijuana.
After assessing self-reported evaluations of sleep habits, the researchers found that people who smoked marijuana daily, scored higher on the Insomnia Severity Index and other sleep disturbance measures, compared to people who did not. There was no difference in sleep quality between people who only occasionally smoke, and people who don’t smoke at all. The researchers theorize that frequent smoking is related to poor sleep quality because there may be an association between persistent marijuana use and anxiety.
“It remains possible that the [insomnia] scores might have been higher in the daily marijuana users because marijuana was contributing to anxiety, which in turn may have exacerbated the severity of insomnia,” the researchers write. But they also acknowledge that there needs to be more research done to know for certain.
How can you actually help yourself have quality sleep? Do what rats do, and build a nest. A study published in September, found that many sleep disorders could be helped if people were more mindful about how they put themselves to bed. That means putting down the bud, and grabbing that extra pillow.
