Cannabis Users in Survey Reported Better Sleep and Fewer Morning Side Effects Than With Conventional Aids

A 2023 survey of people who use cannabis for sleep found that many participants viewed it more favorably than prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. However, the study measured personal experiences rather than treatment efficacy, so its findings do not show that cannabis is a proven or universally effective therapy for insomnia.

The Washington State University study published in Exploration of Medicine analyzed de-identified survey data from 1,216 cannabis users. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 77, and most reported longstanding sleep problems: nearly two-thirds said those problems had lasted at least five years. About 68% said they used cannabis as a sleep aid every night.

Respondents commonly said cannabis helped relax their minds and bodies. About 56% reported deeper sleep, 42% reported longer sleep, and 36% reported more uninterrupted sleep. In a separate question, 63% said they typically obtained six to eight hours of sleep when using cannabis alone. These were self-reported impressions, not measurements from sleep laboratories or wearable devices.

Among the 526 participants who had experience with cannabis, prescription sleep aids and over-the-counter products, cannabis was associated with more favorable reported morning outcomes. Most in this subgroup said they felt more refreshed, focused and able to function after using cannabis. They also reported fewer headaches and less nausea than after using other sleep aids or no sleep aid.

The comparison was not uniformly positive. Participants were also more likely to report feeling sleepy, anxious or irritable the morning after using cannabis. Dry mouth, thirst and red eyes were among the more commonly reported cannabis-related side effects. By contrast, nausea, anxiety and a racing heart were reported more often with prescription or over-the-counter sleep medications in this subgroup.

Most respondents said they were not currently using conventional sleep medications: 81.8% reported no current use of either prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. That result should not be interpreted as proof that cannabis caused them to stop taking those medications. The survey did not establish when or why participants changed their treatment, and it did not randomly assign anyone to use cannabis or another sleep aid.

In terms of product preferences, 60% of respondents favored high-THC products, while 21.7% preferred products with a balanced THC-to-CBD ratio. Among the 624 people who considered specific cannabis ingredients, 78.8% sought THC, 47.1% sought CBD and 49% sought the terpene myrcene. Joints, flower vapes and oils were the most frequently reported product formats.

The researchers emphasized that the sample was made up of people who were already using cannabis for sleep. That creates a strong possibility of selection bias because people who believe cannabis helps them may have been more likely to participate. The study also relied on retrospective, subjective answers and used a cross-sectional design, meaning it could not determine whether cannabis improved sleep over time or caused the reported benefits.

Those limitations are important because broader research has not reached a clear consensus. A systematic review of cannabis dosing and administration for sleep found that subjective improvements were sometimes reported, but high-quality evidence remained limited and objective testing generally did not establish consistent improvements in sleep architecture. Other reviews have similarly called for larger, longer and better-controlled clinical trials.

The WSU survey therefore offers useful information about why some cannabis consumers prefer cannabis to conventional sleep aids and which products they choose. It does not establish that cannabis is safer, more effective or appropriate for everyone with insomnia. More rigorous studies using validated sleep scales, objective sleep measures and controlled comparisons are needed before researchers can determine which cannabis compounds, doses and delivery methods—if any—provide reliable benefits for sleep.