Study links marijuana use to disrupted sleep

A long-term study by Northwestern University found that regular marijuana use is associated with disrupted sleep patterns. Researchers followed approximately 1,300 adults over a 35-year period, using wrist-actigraphy sleep monitors to track their sleep behavior.

Data from the monitors showed that participants who used marijuana regularly experienced more frequent awakenings during the night and spent less time in deep sleep compared to non-users.

Despite these findings, study participants did not report feeling poorly rested. Lead investigators suggested that micro-arousals during sleep often occur too quickly for individuals to notice, leading to unawareness of broken sleep.

A separate systematic review of nine earlier clinical trials also found limited evidence that medical cannabis improves sleep for those with chronic sleep disorders. The review, summarized by Cochrane, concluded that cannabis offers little to no measurable benefit for such conditions.

Health experts caution that while the observational data shows a strong correlation between cannabis use and disrupted sleep cycles, they do not confirm direct causation. Further research is needed to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship.