Northwestern study links cannabis use to more fragmented sleep
A Northwestern University study of 1,266 people, tracking them across more than three decades, found that cannabis users tended to have more disrupted sleep and spend longer awake during the night. The researchers also found that users were no more likely than non-users to report sleeping poorly, though the observational study cannot establish that cannabis caused the disturbances.
Bottom line — The study found more fragmented sleep among cannabis users, but cannot show cannabis caused it.
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Participants who had used cannabis in the past 30 days were also more likely to have disrupted sleep, according to the study.
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Wearable sleep devices detected disturbances that participants did not report in their own assessments.
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Sleep psychologist Deirdre Conroy, who was not involved, said tolerance, cannabis wearing off and withdrawal could fragment sleep.
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The researchers did not compare cannabis strains or methods of use, such as smoking and edibles.
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A Cochrane review of nine clinical trials found little to no clinically meaningful effect on sleep quality, duration or daytime functioning, while noting that the evidence remained uncertain.