A Cochrane review has determined that there is no definitive evidence supporting the use of medical cannabis to improve sleep or daytime functioning in individuals with insomnia. According to News-Medical, the existing data are too unreliable to form conclusions about the treatment's effectiveness.
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The review analyzed nine studies with a total of 537 adults aged 18 to 76 who were being treated for insomnia, predominantly focusing on those with primary insomnia rather than insomnia related to other conditions. These studies involved comparisons of regulated medical cannabis products against placebo in eight cases and against the antidepressant amitriptyline in one instance. Typically, these cannabis products have a controlled ratio of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) and are available in various forms such as tablets, sprays, or oils.
Findings indicated that medical cannabis provided little to no significant improvement in sleep quality, satisfaction, total sleep duration, or daytime functioning compared to placebo. Additionally, participants using medical cannabis reported mild adverse effects, including dry mouth and dizziness, although these results are based on a limited number of studies. The authors classified the evidence regarding potential quality of life improvements as very low certainty, with pooled results indicating the possibility of both slight declines and significant enhancements.
Factors contributing to this uncertainty include variations in the types of cannabis products studied, which hindered result comparisons. The longest trial conducted lasted only 12 weeks, leaving long-term effects unexamined. Furthermore, 72.66% of participants were women, and the study samples leaned toward younger demographics, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to men, older individuals, and those with comorbid conditions.