The best cannabis strains for sleep and insomnia
Insomnia is the worst, but luckily cannabis can be an effective sleep aid for many. It can slow racing thoughts, dissolve pain , relax muscles, and deliver its own sleepy chemicals to help you fall and stay asleep.
We put together a list of sedating strains to give you an idea of what to look out for on your next visit to the dispensary. But first, some tips to keep in mind:
- THC strains are typically the most effective for sleep. If THC agrees with your body and doesn’t cause unpleasant side effects like anxiety, a THC-dominant strain might be your most reliable source of sedating effects.
- Go easy on the high-THC strains if it’s anxiety keeping you up. A light dose of THC can float you to sleep, but larger doses can worsen anxiety in some consumers. You may want to try a strain higher in CBD if you’re sensitive to THC.
- Edibles can help you stay asleep longer. Though inhaling cannabis yields faster effects, edibles last a lot longer .
- Browse Leafly for sleepy strains. Find out which strains other Leafly users have described as “sleepy” here .
Finding the right strain for you is a personalized endeavor and often requires a little trial and error. The strains below offer a few starting points—take note of which ones you like or don’t like, and use those shapes (cannabinoids) and colors (terpenes) to guide you to other strains that are likely to help you achieve a good night’s sleep.
The Science Behind Cannabis & Sleep
The relative lack of research into marijuana has resulted in people jumping to conclusions. It has long been assumed that sativa strains give you energy, and indica strains help you sleep. While it is true that pure indicas and indica-dominant hybrids are more likely to cause full-body relaxation, the reason could be due to the concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes, rather than simply being an indica or sativa strain.
THC is the most abundant intoxicating compound in cannabis, and it has been associated with sedative effects. CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and may work as a pain reliever. It is linked with increased relaxation and, when combined with THC, could increase a marijuana strain’s sedative qualities. CBN is also said to have sedative effects when combined with THC.
There are around 200+ terpenes found in the marijuana plant. The ones believed to best aid sleep include myrcene, limonene, linalool, terpineol, and caryophyllene. It so happens that indica-dominant strains tend to have high concentrations of these terpenes, which may explain why they provide a relaxing and sedative effect.
What Do the Studies Say?
Studies into marijuana’s effects on sleep have provided conflicting results. Most pertinently, there is evidence that insomnia could be a withdrawal symptom when you quit using the herb. A study by Budney et al., published in The American Journal of Psychiatry in January 2015, found that up to 76% of regular cannabis users reported poor quality sleep once they quit.
Make sure you check certain sites when they cite studies. One website, which we won’t name, claimed that a study by Budney et al., published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology in August 2003, showed that the withdrawal effects when quitting cannabis last for 45 days.
In reality, the study looked at 18 cannabis users who smoked as normal for five days and abstained for the next 45 days. Symptoms such as sleep problems became apparent within three days, with peak effects from days 2 to 6. The study clearly states that “most effects lasted 4-14 days.” Still a problem, but not as bad as anti-marijuana sites like to claim.
A study by Gorelick et al., published in The American Journal of Addiction in August 2013, looked at the sleep patterns of 13 chronic daily cannabis smokers. The subjects consumed oral THC doses of 20mg each time around the clock for seven days. They consumed between 40mg and 120mg of THC each day.
The research team found that using higher concentrations of THC in the evening resulted in shorter sleep latency, greater ease in falling asleep, but also increased daytime sleep the following day.
Numerous studies have looked into marijuana’s ability to combat conditions that could prevent us from sleeping. Cannabis could promote better breathing (great news if you have sleep apnea), and reduce the time spent in REM (a good thing if you have PTSD and suffer from nightmares).
It isn’t all good news, though. Long-term loss of REM sleep may cause issues such as memory impairment. Also, using cannabis before the age of 15 could result in sleep problems as an adult.
Nonetheless, for an increasing number of people, marijuana is a much better option to help aid a good night’s sleep than sleeping pills or other forms of prescription medication. Below, we look at five great cannabis strains for a decent night’s sleep.
Final Thoughts on Marijuana & Sleep
A lack of sleep can do a lot more damage to your life than merely making you feel grumpy and irritable. Did you know that fatigue is linked to over 100,000 automobile crashes and over 1,500 crash-related deaths in the United States alone each year?
Sleep deprivation can even lead to serious health issues such as stroke, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. It is estimated that 90% of people with insomnia also have another health condition! Lack of sleep hurts your sex drive, slows your thinking, ages your skin, increases the risk of depression, and increases the risk of unwanted weight gain.
Therefore, if you have problems sleeping, you must do everything possible to rectify the situation. If you have tried altering your sleep pattern, avoided the ‘blue light’ from electronics at night, and attempted to establish a healthy bedtime routine but still can’t sleep, marijuana could be the answer.
Research is divided on the subject, but countless individuals swear by the herb as an effective sleep aid. If you decide to try it for yourself, do so with caution, and make sure you begin with a very small dose to see how it affects your body and mind.
If there is one thing cannabis is known for, it has to be its ability to send you off into a deep slumber.