Cannabis Use May Worsen Sleep, Study Finds
A new study shows that while many Americans use cannabis to fall asleep, it may actually reduce sleep quality and cause more awakenings.
16 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
#Cannabis #Sleep #JAMA Network Open #CARDIA
About 22 million Americans use cannabis to help them sleep, and nearly one in four say they would try it. The idea that cannabis improves sleep is widespread, but recent research is challenging that view. A long‑term study suggests cannabis may actually make sleep worse.
Study Highlights Discrepancy
Researchers analyzed 35 years of data from the CARDIA cohort and used wrist‑band trackers to measure sleep in 891 participants. They found that each additional year of cannabis use was linked to a 10 % higher chance of spending less than 85 % of the night asleep, a 4 % higher chance of more fragmented sleep, and a 21 % higher chance of staying awake for at least 30 minutes during a night. Despite these objective problems, people who had used cannabis reported no decline in how they felt about their sleep.
The disconnect between objective measures and self‑reports could mean many people unknowingly suffer from poorer sleep when using cannabis. The study advises people who struggle with sleep to follow conventional tips like keeping a regular bedtime, a cool and dark room, and a calming pre‑sleep routine. Longer studies with objective sleep data are needed to clarify cannabis’s true effects.