A Quick Overview of Medical Marijuana For Insomnia

Numerous studies show that marijuana can assist with insomnia and can improve the quality of your sleep. Patients have experienced minimal side effects, and have got rest in their woke-up feeling. Along with this, they have seen improvement in their stress, fatigue, and social functioning.

Generally, cannabis formulations that are containing THC are most effective for sleep. These are responsible for reducing side effects like THC-induced anxiety by ensuring that the formulations are also containing CBD.

Vaporized flowers will be acting at a rapid pace. But, ingesting marijuana oil can assist in staying asleep for a longer period. You must take into consideration to make use of both for optimum effect.

Finding the right formulation has the requirement of error & trial. Marijuana is a personalized medication that affects everyone differently. You will have the requirement of experimenting to serve yourself with the best shot at the improvement of your insomnia.

Prevalence of Insomnia in Australia

Almost 60% of the adult population of Australia is suffering from at least one symptom of sleep deprivation. 14.8% of people are having symptoms the diagnosing of which may happen as chronic insomnia.

As the Australian Sleep Health Foundation has reported, these symptoms are inclusive of trouble in falling asleep. These are also inclusive of waking too early or staying asleep and not being capable of getting back to sleep.

Research is Growing on Marijuana for Insomnia

People have been making use of marijuana for centuries for assisting themselves in going to sleep. But, it has just been in recent years that there have seen anecdotal evidence which has sparked the curiosity of the research.

Nowadays, we have seen an enhance in the number of clinical trials happening in numerous countries. These are happening into the efficacy of marijuana for the treatment of sleep disorders.

Researchers for Sleep Science from the University of Western Australia have tested a marijuana-based extract on 23 chronic insomnia patients. They have received either a placebo or the formulation over 14 nights.

The researchers have found that the marijuana-based formulation has done the production of significantly higher levels of improved sleep patterns for insomnia than the placebo.

Their outcomes were the basis for which was the widely-recognized Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). 36% of the participants have received the highest dose levels. They have displayed a significant improvement in the quality of sleep.

They have also experienced feelings of rest, waking up, etc. Along with this, they have seen improvements in their social functioning, stress, and fatigue.

The research was led by Professor Peter Eastwood. He stated that he has become impressed by the entire responsive improvements across a huge range of key insomnia indices.

He also said that positive experiences of patients have shown minimal side-effects to the formulation based on marijuana.

How Does Medical Marijuana Interact With The Human Body

Insufficient sleep is somewheres debilitating and affects heart, memory, creativity, energy, stress, and weight loss. Biologically, the regulation of sleep patterns happens by the CB1 receptors of the body.

These receptors do the formation of the part of our endocannabinoid system (ECS). It is a crucial physiological system that works for keeping our bodies in a homeostasis state.

Despite the prominence of CBD for its numerous health benefits. Researches reveal that it is the THC component of marijuana that does the creation of drowsiness. THC acts on the CB1 receptor than does the regulation of sleep and serves with relief in pain.

There are very limited researches that have shown that CBD alone is not sufficient for the improvement of your insomnia. On the other hand, THC-heavy strains are far more sleep-inducing. And there is a belief that these lower REM sleep. This in turn reduces the time spent on your dreaming.

There was a review which has got published like Science & Sleep. It has been noted that a randomized trial has shown that sleep onset is rapid in those groups who smoke marijuana.

Human Sleep Patterns

There is a division of human sleep patterns into four cycles. For instance, deep, light, awake, and REM sleep. All these cycles play a crucial role in resting & resetting our systems. Along with this, these are regulating our different bodily and brain functions.

The display of these kinds of restorative qualities happens in how a body functions the next day. Traditionally, the division of sleep happens into REM & non-REM cycles. Altogether, it facilitates your brain in progressing through each sleep stage.

Awake time: It is the period in bed before you fall asleep

Light time: Light time is the transition before you reach deeper stages of sleep. Muscles begin to relax during this cycle and breathing, and heart rate become slow down. The sleep set in according to the drop in the body temperatures.

Deep Sleep: This Deep sleep is the most rejuvenating & restorative cycle. Blood pressure drops the flow of white blood to muscles enhances. As the brain waves flush out waste along with the growth of tissues, these become slow. Repairing of cell and hormone also take place.

REM Sleep: REM sleep is also extremely crucial for the rejuvenation of the mind. The REM sleep cycle has associated with memory retention, dreaming, learning, and problem-solving. Heart rate and respiration enhance during this cycle. The reason is that the brain becomes more active and it triggers the occurrence of vivid dreams.

Researches have revealed that heavy strains on THC will bring a reduction in the amount of time spent in the REM cycle. This can assist the PTSD sufferers authorize reduce the capability of dreaming and of having nightmares. However, for-PTSDD sufferers, there may not be any benefit from reduced REM sleep.

If the reason behind your insomnia was excessive time spent in REM sleep. Then the THC can potentially assist in getting a goodnight’s rest.

In some people, THC alone can enhance anxiety and studies have revealed that CBD can assist in the reduction of anxiety. Therefore, if the reason behind your insomnia is partly anxiety & stress, then a balanced mix of THC and CBD could become your optimum formulation.

There is a complicated relationship between sleep and marijuana. So, it would be better to have a discussion with your doctor.

Ideal Forms of Medical Cannabis For Sleep

Ongoing studies have revealed that when it comes to marijuana for sleep. It is a case of varying strokes for different folks. Some patients give preference to a blend of oil & edibles. On the other hand, others display a preference for vaping.

Dried marijuana inhaled by making use of vaporizer sparks brings the effect almost instantly. This is the reason that there is a recommendation for micro-dosing with sleep experimentation.

Ingesting marijuana in the form of oil and other edibles is slow-acting. But, it remains for a longer period in the body. However, edibles bring dosing problems. The reason is that it takes a while for the medication for kicking in. And the initial titration process might be time-consuming. And it has the requirement of a lot of patience.

There is a quick-in-and-out effect of inhalation via vaping and it lasts for two to three hours. Health professionals never recommend inhalation via smoking.

Sativa vs Indica Marijuana For Sleep

Indica & Sativa, two rare types of marijuana. Indica is more sedating, as it possesses a higher THC content. On the other hand, there is a recommendation to make use of Sativa strain in the daytime as it comes with energizing and uplifting properties.

The majority of marijuana industry professionals give the suggestion to make use of Indica as a sleeping aid. But, it runs the risk of “overdosing” on THC. It leaves them groggy and feeling hungover. This is the reason that the doctors of medical marijuana recommend making use of those strains which have less than 20% THC content.

Back in 2015, a study was conducted on medical marijuana for insomnia. It has revealed that the best strains for sleep were those which were there with equal parts of CBD & THC.

This combination has done the production of a balanced sleep as the CBD can counter balance some of the negative effects of higher formulations of THC. For instance, enhanced memory issues and anxiety.

Medical Marijuana Strains For The Promotion Of Sleep

You must not judge marijuana strains by their Sativa or Indica content alone. what actually matters is the terpene and cannabinoid content of this strain. As already mentioned, a highly balanced strain of both CBD and THC is best for the promotion of healthy and relaxed sleep.

Marijuana strains recommended for insomniacs are those which are comprising sleep-inducing terpenes. For instance, caryophyllene and myrcene. There is also another recommendation that the amount of THC should be under 20%.

Australian regulations that are around medication advertising prevent us from giving names to those products that are containing high amounts of these terpenes. But, this is something which you can speak with your doctor about.

CBN is a lesser-known cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant. It is also showing promise in sleep aid. CBN is the outcome of THC oxidation.

CBN is popular for doing the promoting a tranquil and relaxing state. There is wide use of this in those countries where there has been the legalization of marijuana for sleep formulations.

Medical Marijuana vs Prescription Drugs for Sleep

In recent years, debate on the subject of prescription drugs has become more heated. Researches have proved that marijuana is far less likely to lead to be dependent than opioids. For instance, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and other sleep-related prescriptions.

It is a widely popular fact that these drugs are responsible for addiction and for hundreds of deaths because of overdosing worldwide annually.

Annual overdose report of Australia released by the Penington Institute in 2019. This report has revealed that 1,612 people died from accidental overdoses. Over the last decade, it is an enhance of almost 38%. The report states that benzodiazepines were entirely responsible for more than doubling the death rate of the previous year from 256 to 583.

Neuro-Imaging Techniques For The Investigation Of Marijuana For Insomnia

The use of novel neuro-imaging techniques is happening for the investigation of the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of insomnia in a collaboration between the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, and the University of Sydney.

There were some terms for this which were mainly, “a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot trial”. Researchers will make use of brain imaging technology for conducting in-depth examinations and for the localization of differences in the activation of the brain and sleep.

The research will be on the basis of 20 patients. It is about those patients who are suffering from insomnia disorder. This research was done with a single dose of an oral marijuana extract.

By doing the comparison between the marijuana dose to placebo, researchers are having hope for doing the establishment of whether or not cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of sleep disorder. They will also conduct a study on cognitive next-day function.

There is hope from Lambert’s initiative For more definitive research. It is on the use of medical marijuana for numerous sleep disorders. Promising preliminary proof facilitates the rationale for future randomized controlled trials of cannabinoid therapies in those individuals who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that is related to nightmares. Along with this, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and narcolepsy.

How to Access Medical Marijuana in Australia for Insomnia?

On the basis of the available body of scientific literature, medical marijuana may assist with insomnia by assisting you in falling asleep faster. It also assists you in staying asleep for a longer period of time which is at least in the deep sleep recovery stage.

However, it is clear that there is a requirement for more research and patients must discuss the treatment with a qualified health professional.

Medical marijuana in Australia for insomnia is not a first-line treatment. So, you have the requirement of trying at least one conventional medication for insomnia for being eligible. The best and most appropriate place for this is to speak with your doctor. If your doctor is uncomfortable in doing your treatment then he can refer you to any other clinic.