The following is a summary of “Cannabis use and sleep quality in daily life: An electronic daily diary study of adults starting cannabis for health concerns,” published in the February 2023 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence by Tervo-Clemmens et al.
The actual usage patterns of cannabis for health-related issues exhibit significant variability and are seldom monitored by a medical practitioner. Conducting pragmatic effectiveness studies utilizing electronic daily diaries that record individualized patterns of cannabis consumption and associated health symptoms may aid in elucidating potential advantages and disadvantages. In the context of a randomized trial (NCT03224468), 181 adults who sought cannabis for insomnia, pain, anxiety, or depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to receive a medical cannabis card immediately (MCC) or to be placed on a waitlist control (WLC). These individuals then underwent 12 weeks of daily web-based surveys that assessed their cannabis use and their sleep, pain, and depressive symptoms. The completion rates of daily surveys were observed to be moderate to high, with a median of 72 out of 90 days completed. The daily accounts of cannabis consumption aligned with the monthly interviews and urinalysis findings.
The MCC cohort exhibited an escalation in the frequency of cannabis consumption during the 12 weeks after randomization, whereas the WLC group did not manifest any such alteration. Within the population of individuals with MCC, there was a statistically significant increase in self-reported sleep quality on days when cannabis was used compared to days when cannabis was not used. The group administered medical cannabis exhibited prolonged enhancements in their sleep patterns, which aligns with the escalation in the frequency of cannabis usage. There were no observed enhancements in the pain or depressive symptoms. The utilization of cannabis has been linked to enhancements in self-reported sleep quality on the same day. However, it is not associated with improving pain or depressive symptoms. It is important to note that the improvements in sleep quality were observed in conjunction with increased frequency of cannabis use, which may elevate the likelihood of developing cannabis use disorder. Regular online evaluations of cannabis seem to be a reliable and practical approach for adults who use cannabis for health reasons. This method can be used as a flexible and supplementary tool for future real-world studies on the effectiveness of cannabis, which may include more comprehensive and unbiased measures.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871622004975
