Cannabis used for insomnia by a surprising portion of the population 💤

A new addition has appeared in the range of medications and products used to improve sleep.

Indeed, 16% of Canadian adults use cannabis or cannabis derivatives to treat their insomnia, according to a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine by a research team led by Charles Morin from the School of Psychology at Laval University and the CERVO Research Centre.


Professor Morin and 11 other scientists from Quebec and Ontario reached this conclusion after conducting, between April and October 2023, a survey among 4,037 Canadian adults. These individuals agreed to answer various questions related to their sleep.

"Over 16% of the people who participated in the study showed symptoms that met the criteria for insomnia disorder," reports Charles Morin. "These individuals were dissatisfied with their sleep, had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, or woke up early. Their lack of sleep interfered with their daily functioning and caused them significant distress. These insomnia symptoms occurred at least three times a week and had lasted for three months or more."

The responses also revealed that 46% of the people who participated in the study had used products to help them sleep in the 12 months preceding the survey. "That's almost twice as many as what we measured 16 years ago," observes Professor Morin.

The most commonly used products are natural or over-the-counter products like melatonin and valerian (29%), cannabis (16%), prescription medications (15%), and alcohol (10%).

"Cannabis use even reaches 28% among 18-35-year-olds," notes Professor Morin. "Across all age groups, individuals who use cannabis do so an average of four times a week."

With the exception of sleeping pills, the sleep aids mentioned in this survey have not been extensively studied to date, the researcher points out. "This is particularly true for melatonin. Despite its widespread use, the risks and benefits of this product for treating insomnia are still poorly understood."

The popularity of cannabis as a self-treatment for insomnia is concerning, continues Charles Morin. "There is no solid evidence showing that cannabis is either effective or safe for insomnia. On the contrary, its negative effects on the mental health of young people are well-documented."

The recommended first-line treatment for insomnia disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy, reminds the researcher, who helped develop this approach, which has been repeatedly proven effective. "This is the treatment that should be offered first to individuals suffering from insomnia. However, the lack of resources in the healthcare system makes this recommendation difficult to implement at the moment. We hope that the eventual development of a self-care program focused on this treatment, aimed at cases of insomnia that do not require professional health guidance, will help solve part of this accessibility problem."

Other co-authors of the study associated with Laval University include Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im, Si-Jing Chen, Hans Ivers, and Geneviève Belleville.