Consuming medicinal cannabis oil improves sleep in adults with insomnia
25-Jan-23 06:16:42
A placebo-controlled experimental study in Australia on adults suffering from insomnia showed that consumption of medicinal cannabis oil containing 10 mg/ml tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 15 mg/ml cannabidiol (CBD) over 2 weeks improved sleep time compared to a group receiving placebo treatment. Levels of melatonin, a hormone produced by the brain that helps regulate the internal clock and sleep, were also higher in the group consuming the oil. The study was published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
“Insomnia is experienced by a third (30%) of the adult population,” said study author Karin Ried, the director of research at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine.
Insomnia becomes more common at older age and often accompanies other diseases. It has significant negative impact on daily functioning, energy levels, concentration, mood, and physical well-being of individuals suffering from it.
One of the potentially promising treatments for insomnia involves the use of medicinal cannabis oil. Medicinal cannabis is known to be helpful in relieving pain. Studies have shown that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) has a sedative effect and the same is the case with higher doses of cannabidiol (or CBD). Both THC and CBD are compounds produced by the cannabis plant. A possible problem with the use of THC is that higher doses have psychoactive effects, so higher CBD to THC ratios are recommended as potential treatments for insomnia.
“Medicinal cannabis showed promise in alleviating the insomnia. However, there was a dearth of studies looking at the effect of medicinal cannabis on sleep as a primary outcome measure. To our knowledge our study is only the second randomized controlled trial looking at the effect of medicinal cannabis on sleep as a primary outcome measure.”
The researchers conducted an experimental study aiming to assess the tolerability for medicinal cannabis oil and whether taking it for 2 weeks has effects on sleep in adults with insomnia. Participants were 29 adults between 25 and 75 years old. They were required to not be shift workers and not use antidepressants. Candidates with a number of serious diseases were also excluded from participation.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups. For two weeks, participants were instructed to take the oil issued to them with food in the evening. They started with a 0.2 ml dose and were supposed to increase it by 0.1 ml each day, up to a dose of 1.5 ml. The difference was that one of the groups received cannabis oil with 10 mg/ml of THC and 15 mg/ml of CBD formulated with medium chain triglycerides and lesser amounts of other cannabinoids and naturally occurring terpenes and peppermint flavor. The oil the other group received consisted solely of the medium chain triglycerides carrier with peppermint flavor added and packaged in the same bottle.
SOURCE & CREDIT: PSYPOST