Can Cannabis Help You Sleep? Here’s the Science | Jen Walsh | TED
Can cannabis actually treat insomnia? It's complicated, says sleep physiologist Jen Walsh. While the plant has been used across time and cultures, there's been little scientific research on how it impacts sleep disorders like insomnia. That's precisely where she and her team come in. Learn about the world's first study into the potential of medicinal cannabis as a safe, accessible treatment to help us all rest easy.
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It helps me tremendously, and has also stopped my severe nightmares and night terrors
but on the other hand, I smoke weed every day and haven't had a good night's sleep in years, anecdotal evidence isn't evidence
That’s so interesting! Thank you for sharing.
@@stocktonjoans Puff ... Puff ... PASS!!!
Then why you smoke them?@@stocktonjoans
@@WJFStorM because it has other benefits, as mentioned in the video above
Helps me, i suffer from some heavy PTSD nightmares and smoking weed before bed prevents me from dreaming (or not remembering that i dreamed, not sure), but i wake up well rested and and happy, so it works for me and thats ok!!!!
Same.
That’s so true, I rarely remember my dreams too when I smoke right before bed. Otherwise, I’d have the most vivid dreams. Glad it’s helping you with PTSD!
Sorry to hear about your nightmares. But glad to see you found something that helps!
Your example is perfect evidence for how cannabis suppresses REM (dream) sleep, and thus is actually negatively affecting your sleep.
@@CableReadyTechnoSIut no, the nightmare's are negatively affecting my sleep lol
My migraines go from 9/10 pain and vomiting , to a 3-4 and no vomiting after one hit. Nothing else has helped like marijuana has
And hey, it’s a low risk pain killer.
I been smoking for 18 years. I thought it was helping me. You know why I stopped? Studies show cannabis age your brain faster than being an alcoholic. I don't even know why that is but look it up. People who smoke cannabis had "older brain" than people who were full blown alcoholic. Don't take my word for it. Go google and do some research. I just wanna raise awareness because people think there is absolutely no negative effect. I don't care about lung damage but I care alot about brain damage because that's what controls your entire system.
@lingling21100 tell that to 90 year old Willie Nelson 😂
He said go Google. And there was 0.. Not one scientific 👈 Paper says that.. Age the brain... you read that on a propaganda site.
@@lingling21100 This is about the 5th time I've seen you post this SAME comment in this thread! Newsflash! Your brain is already FRIED after 18 years of dope.
I have loud tinnitus, which causes anxiety at night when I try to sleep. THC has helped me tremendously.
Tinnitus doesn’t cause anxiety. Aversion to tinnitus can, however. Mindfulness can help you with the aversion. I know from experience.
@@chipper7711 A distinction without a difference?
I have to use one of those small desktop fans for my tinnitus. DJed a lot of shows and wasn't smart about my ears next to the monitor speakers.
It's helped me sleep for the last 20 years, given I'm wired a bit different than your usual and the cannabinoids I intake helps me level out at lower doses.... It's not the best answer (I've never had a good one) but it's better than the pharmaceutical alternatives.
I agree. I have sleep issues, and I've been prescribed sleeping pills in the past but when I take them and have to work in the morning (at 6am) I often feel still pretty sleepy and messed up from the pill (kinda drunk-like). Marijuana has helped me get to bed and not feel like crap from a pill in the morning
I been smoking for 18 years. I thought it was helping me. You know why I stopped? Studies show cannabis age your brain faster than being an alcoholic. I don't even know why that is but look it up. People who smoke cannabis had "older brain" than people who were full blown alcoholic. Don't take my word for it. Go google and do some research. I just wanna raise awareness because people think there is absolutely no negative effect. I don't care about lung damage but I care alot about brain damage because that's what controls your entire system.
@@lingling21100 You might want to actually read the entire study before you start raising awareness.. This is taken from the NIH-Biol Psychology study "....these differences in structural brain integrity were explained by the propensity of long-term cannabis users to engage in polysubstance use, especially with alcohol and tobacco.: So with that being said if you ONLY smoke Marijuana these differences don't quite apply as they would if you were a drinker, a cigarette smoker, and a cannabis user. I bet if you were to take cannabis out of that equation you would get the same result... Smoke and sleep well my friend.
To me the biggest question is does it increase deep sleep. For PTSD patients that is the real issue. We already have drugs that can knock someone out if they take enough. The problem is does it push them into the deep restorative sleep. Current medications don’t do that, and some restorative body activity only happens when in that mode. So you are looking at long term neurological damage if patient are unable to reach that sleep state. Fortunately some people are able to get the deep sleep state with weighted blankets, but that doesn’t work for everyone.
CBD does for me. As recorded by my smartwatch.
When all comes to all, it's DIFFERENT from person to person on how it affects you.. Some goes crazy with psychosis etc, some people literally becomes millionaires while being high every day and is extremely functional. So better just try it out for a period of time yourself, instead of reading what other people think.
I've had insomnia my whole life (now 39 years old) due to my autism and high anxiety. I started vaping CBD flower 4 years ago and since then I have seen a massive improvement in my insomnia. As a result of getting better sleep my anxiety and depression has greatly reduced, so it's a win win situation for me.
I love stories like yours. Just sorry it took a few decades to get there. Happy you found some relief!
I’ve been hearing “we need more evidence” for decades. It helps some people and it doesn’t help others. There. Solved.
Straight up. I guess they want a concrete percentage but its hard to find someone who doesn't smoke already who is willing to do it once
"Does alcohol make you drunk? 🤔🤔 We need more evidence for this!"
Also depends on the type and dose of course
Also, is it effective in the long term, or short term only?
@@myladycasagrande863 its effective long term as long as you can keep upping the dose because of tolerance.
Cannabis is a miracle plant for me. Keeps me sane, gives me a higher consciousness, keeps me off alcohol, makes me relaxed and productive. Enjoy all!
Keeps you off alcohol, and that’s the reason for its continued prohibition in Britain. 🍻
I smoked a lot in HS and came back to it when I was about 30. I went from having a few beers every day to not drinking at all and I feel a million times better. Lost weight, started walking every day, started a buissness, improved my relationships. These were all things that just happened Naturally I just started smoking more and drinking less. All the other stuff was just a side effect.
I been smoking for 18 years. I thought it was helping me. You know why I stopped? Studies show cannabis age your brain faster than being an alcoholic. I don't even know why that is but look it up. People who smoke cannabis had "older brain" than people who were full blown alcoholic. Don't take my word for it. Go google and do some research. I just wanna raise awareness because people think there is absolutely no negative effect. I don't care about lung damage but I care alot about brain damage because that's what controls your entire system.
@@hardcoreherbivore4730 you’re 100% right. Alcohol use dropped in Canada too. Nothing scarier to Big Alcohol than legal cannabis.
@@lingling21100 I don’t smoke. I vape flower, dab, and do edibles. Combustion releases a lot of other chemicals you don’t want to inhale and it tastes pretty gross. Might have something to do with that. Who knows lol.
Taking edibles it's definitely helped me sleep
I didn't even know edibles needed sleep. The more you know!
I've been using edibles for sleep and pain a few times a week for over a year now. A good friend of mine has the same issues and makes them for both of us. As you probably know from your own experience, different variants and dosages have different effects and their efficacy can vary among individual. I sure hope this scientist's findings lead to further study. At the same time, the last thing I want to see is Big Pharma taking it over.
After a few weeks without, I’ll crash for a solid 12 hours when eating edibles. Waking up afterwards is glorious.
I was going to comment on this. Edibles are the best way to help get some incredibly restful sleep.
What a waste of 11 mins. Thank goodness it was on 2x
I don't use it anymore, but back when I did this was very much strain as well as dosage dependant for me.
Research indicates that further research is necessary!
Struggled with insomnia since childhood. Discovered cannabis in high school and I’ve been self medicating ever since. The only time I’ve spoken about my use with a doctor, they merely compared it with alcohol. Fortunately, it’s totally legal in Canada. 🍁
Helped the pain in my knees, made me sleep better, and if it was Sativa it helped me with creativity as a Chef.
I have chronic insomnia along with Restless Leg Syndrome. Dayvigo (10 mg - a relatively new med) helps me fall asleep and increase REM sleep. When I wake up at 4 or 5 am after being awake on and off during the night (on average 1 hr), a mix of CBD-THC oil (1 mm) helps me fall back asleep but I do wake up groggy. I monitor all of this with a FITBIT. Insomnia is hard to live well with.
I took it for sleep for years, but slowly started struggling with the same insomnia I always had despite the cannabis. Its tricky, because it REALLY helped me at first. I had to admit to myself, that being off of it, and exercising regularly is still the gold standard for stress reduction and sleep quality. The cannabis just made me feel like my stress was lower, which is fine…..but take away the cannabis and I was not low stress.
One of the best public speakers i've seen on Ted!
You need to watch more if this is ur best.
Definitely helps with FALLING asleep, but it impairs the deeper levels of sleep and prevents a well-rested feeling
This.
I’ve been prescribed this for insomnia and it works.
As a newbie that wants to invest, you must have these three things in mind 1. Have a long term mindset. 2. Be willing to take risk. 3. Be careful on money usage, if you're not spending to earn back, then stop spending. 4. Never claim to know - Ask questions and it's best you work with a financial advisor.
How ..? Am a newbie in crypto investment, please can you guide me through on how you made profit?
It helps me. That's all the science i need.
I tried it. It helps until the body builds tolerance to it and then it's either keep upping the dosage or it becomes ineffective. Also long term use causes short term memory loss, demotivation and depression. Plus the stoned hangover the next day isn't something I want to live with. All substances have their tolerance and side effects.
That's not a thing with THC.... Spoken exactly as a non-user would speak. 🤦♂️
So which 1990's anti-marinuana agency paid you to say this? THC doesn't work like this and you clearly don't use it.
A huge qualitative research (within a heuristic methodology) could be interesting to study the effet of cannabis on sleep. There are so many cannabis users out there who could share their experience with cannabis and sleep. As a single person testimony wouldn't say much, thousands of them will certainly. Then you'll have data on heavy and light users within a variety of different usage contexts. and then, with those analyzed data, you can design very precise and more complicated research with only few participants.
One thing I noticed for sure is I dont have dreams as often. I'm not sure if that means I'm sleeping better or worse. When I stop using cannabis I have crazy vivid dreams and when i wake up I usually feel exhausted like my brain just ran a marathon overnight. I've always had trouble falling asleep I feel like cannabis does help with that but its the after effect that does it for me. Like if I take cannabis and try to go to sleep right then it actually keeps me awake
Same here, now use it on weekends. Have smoked almost daily for last 24 years
Cannabis helps some people and it doesn't help others and there are some people who are hyper sensitive to weed and it makes them crazy. Personally it helps me with pain so I don't take pills, and to relieve anxiety from being autistic. It can make me sleepy or not, depending on the strain and the amount of sleep I've had and how much I've eaten. It doesn't always put me to sleep but I'm not likely to sleep without it, if that makes sense.
I have severe chronic pain and insomnia for the last 29 years and I swear by CBD for both. It actually allows me to get some deep sleep (as tracked by a good smartwatch).
I definitely should go sleep cause I read it at first as "does cannibalism help sleep" 😅
Its benefits differs greatly from person m person. I started taking it for arthritic pain relief, but I had a different experience than my friends who suggested it and who had only positive experiences. For me it helped with my pain, sure, but it also radically changed my personality, triggering paranoia and make my existing anxiety and depression worse, along with making my mood swings far more severe. I became addicted and didn’t even know due to the urban myth that it’s not addictive. It took me far longer than I should have to recognize the negative impact it was having and it nearly ruined my life. I’m far from anti-THC. I write this because I believe if someone wants to try it, they should be extra self-aware and educated in the possible positive and negative effects.
As a Oz a week smoker of 25+ years I'd say it will definitely put you to sleep, if it's decent nug but in the long term it'll mess with the quality of said sleep. Ive quit many times over the years and I get ruthless insomnia for about 3 weeks and then my sleep largely goes back to normal, but much better quality and waaaaaay more dreams.
Yes
To answer your title question, yes. It can.
This is avery objective nightfall exposition .thank you
To each their own with Canabis and in that sense, its very different than Alcohol. You don't drink and it "affects you differently", its the same for all. Cannabis is very different. I am always extremly anxious for 30 minutes, only to be mega relaxed for the next 2h. That initial anxiety state I cannot handle at all. I do sleep like a baby and feel refreshed the next day and sometimes I do want to get high just for that sublime sleep, but the initial anxiety is a no go for me. Edibles are best, but very hard to plan for, high ia more gradual, but very unpredictable. So long mary jane
@@totallybored5526 yes MEGA sensitive to everything. Taste, sound, feelings etc. Everything is x10
Hate that dreadful feeling. Have you tried just CBD ?
@@meghan6438 yes, top grade Swiss cbd for a month, it did nothing to my sleep. Yes maybe a little more focused and relaxed, but that's about it, super expensive and didn't feel much (took the highest % too). Sports is best for me, but I don't have time every day.
@@nolakillabeastyes if only we all had more time for exercise too. Man sorry to hear you didn’t have success with these… It really is so different for everybody. I hope you find something to help your sleep soon!
@@meghan6438 Im ok, sleep fine, I was just saying that "sleeping like a baby" most often happens with weed.
It helped me get off antidepressants, lost 30 pounds, and back to my usual weight. Feeling so much more content with life.
Sativa gives you energy and Indica makes you sleepy. It really is that simple!
I sure hope this scientist gets the funding to do larger studies.
Its great for sleep but lets talk about how it interferes with REM stages. I never dream, and boy if I dont smoke, i have some of the nastiest vivid dreams lol. I know this is about insomnia though..
Thanks for share your knowledge. I also have a problem to sleep in the night. this pattern is long-lasting from my child period. But nowadays I can change it to have a normal pattern of sleeping. Because I try to do diverse activity and make my body lose the stamina. As a result, it makes me to have a deep sleep. What I want to say about is that I think use the cannabis for better sleep is negative for human. Human cannot rely on the drug for their health. It is necessary for them to organise a healthy life cycle to tackle this problem, Not with the cannabis.
Also most of my friends below 40 have had heart attacks They were regular users of Cannabis
Ya well they most likely were not healthy and had other illnesses
Sativa keeps me awake and my mind races. Indica helps me relax and sleep.
It helps me sleep. And i dont remember dreams. And i awake in a good mood.
Also helps with nausea/vomiting having nothing to do with cancer/chemo.
it would be nice to see if the effects of CBD can help with ADHD symptoms. i think the reason it works for some folks as a sedative rather than an upper is because of that. the same adderall prescription that can calm down an ADHD-er can make a normie turn into a white tornado and start cleaning up their house from top to bottom.
When it happens let us know. My husband has severe insomnia and my mother uses CBD medicinally for chronic pain and her disabilities.
I make salve with it for my achey bones, best thing ever. But when I smoke, I don't dream when I sleep.
Totally helps me sleep. The first time I smoked was the best nights sleep. I smoke every night.
It destroys rem sleep. Would not recommend.
@looming_ do you know how it feels to be so tired and no matter how long you lay there, you just can't fall asleep? Your brain is going 100mph going through your life's decisions. There is no way to turn it off but to smoke some weed...I'm smoking.
@@msstruggles2545it’s an escape. I smoke every night lately too, but had way better overall sleep after I quit for a few months and faced why my mind was racing at the time. God bless
@@bartolol I have multiple sclerosis there is no shutting it down. Unless I take meds. Not doing that
@@msstruggles2545 understandable, didn’t see it mentioned in original comment. I hear it does wonders for multiple sclerosis, so I’m happy it is helping you. I’m also not a fan of meds. I suppose the title was vague enough for me to look into the comments and deduce the conversation to just REM sleep, which is important itself as it’s the deepest sleep we get and where most of our restoration in sleep comes from, but apologize if came off rude. I’ve just experienced more clarity and less fog throughout the day when I had stopped for many months.
I live in Canada and am able to grow legal weed, thank god. I'm 71 and have the various issues of the laboring classes at that age. I don't know that the weed lets me sleep more, nor directly moderate pain issues...I don't think. I think that what it does is let me bear it, like a slight veil. Though it is not something I'd recommend for getting things done. Planning, maybe. 😉
Germany invites you to run a larger study.
CBT for anything does not work. Why? It is treating a symptom, not the root cause. A joint gets more to the root, IMO.
I like marijuana, but I'm not a fan; occasionally, I suffer from anxiety and the symptoms worsen with a puff. Also, the mere fact that the lungs receive smoke, of any kind, is harmful and increases heart rate, which often contributes to worsening some symptoms.
Try edibles ,it has the benefits without smoking anything ,lasts longer when eaten too apparently
I am now 56 and have smoked both since I was 15. I've been off it for 3 weeks now and things are going great. Only I sleep a lot of short sleeps, which ultimately makes me very tired. I'm on the right track but as far as sleeping goes...zzz..zzz.....and I remember almost every dream, but I did that before I stopped.
Another 3-6 weeks you'll start levelling out I think, stick with it. 👍
Weed was toxic to me.. I’ll never touch the stuff ever again..
I had a roommate back in college that regressed to her 4rth birthday. She didn’t remember anything. We told her not to smoke again.
Better then popping pills(prescribed), booze, gambling,better then sitting there with your other thoughts, i sleep better, i moderate like a cup of coffee, or an anxiety attack.
My quality of life is now 8/10 with cannabis. And now, after 20 years of beeing a criminal, my country GER just legalized it.
Cannabis does have the potential to treat many ailments but its effects tend to vary from individual to individual. I had cannabis as a recreational substance and it made me reclusive and depressed but my other friends get high so more research needs to be done to ensure that it works consistently for everyone
I use THC for obtrusive thoughts and in the evening CBN helps me sleep.
Cannabis doesn't directly much help my insomnia... But it does help me relax and calm down. Which makes sleep possible sometimes.
CBD - yes. THC - not for me. Too many bad trips over the years.
lol, you must be one of the money havers. THC not good for the money havers...
@@jeffg4686 ??!!
The only downside is the suppression of dreaming. Being a creative person and not being able to get into a lucid dream, after smoking, is a bummer.
I read that as "Can cannibals help you sleep?"
As a two decade plus smoker, I am mainly here for the comments of my fellow smokers. "My biology is totally different than everyone else on the planet and its "helped" me sleep for X amount of years."
My goodness.
"Sorry I'm late, and welcome all. I'm here to talk about ehm.. cannabis. Hihi. That was it. Can it help you sleep? Yes, yes. It can. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Cheerios."
Is it like alcohol though? You’re not getting good quality sleep?
it's nothing like alcohol, it's more like coffee, coffee makes you more alert, cannabis makes you sleepy
@@SimaRuDuDu I thought it doesn’t give you the rem sleep you need though
Some strains are really good for sleep and some aren't.
Happy 4/20 everyone btw
I think the jury’s out on this topic. It helps for sleep, anxiety, breathing, pain, etc.
Not me. Makes my thoughts race with no positive result. It's legal here in Michigan, and I have no desire whatsoever to use it again.
you used wayyy too much
Or maybe you didn’t use the correct strains that were harvested and cured correctly? We use strains, harvesting time and proper cure to either give energy and inspiration (which seems to be your experience) or conversely, to give calmness, relaxation and and a cleared mind (which is what you seemed to be expecting).
that's called overdose on marijuana. Just do one hit, ONE HIT, small one hit. You are not snoop dogg, you don't have tolerance and do not need to smoke that much
@@MrGreen-io6jc I don’t believe it’s medically possible to OD on cannabis. If you mix it with alcohol or certain prescribed meds you can “spin out” aka severe vertigo with nausea. But the worst that’s going to happen from consuming too much cannabis only is you fall asleep. Now I have heard that years of drinking alcohol does something to the brain so that when someone does try to make the switch to cannabis, the onset of therapeutic effects can cause the person to feel extremely uncomfortable and agitated. Meaning the process of becoming “not sober” is extremely uncomfortable for them. Try to remember back to when you first started drinking socially. The time between sober and nice buzz felt kinda weird and maybe a little uncomfortable. Well it’s waaay worse for drinkers starting cannabis. Sorry for the rant. In the process of becoming not sober atm 🙃
i surprised that study with 24 participants belongs to those largests...
Thank you.
"Just wait until our lab is selling a pill. Don't grow it at home and experiment. Just wait." Forget that, I'm Doctor Dingo and I prescribe you weed extracts. Go get high, safely.
I have multiple sclerosis with 13 lesions in my brain and 4 on the highest point of my spine... I do not take ANY MAN MADE DRUGS
My 30 years of research says it definitely helps with sleep.
Strain differences? Entourage Effect? Eating before go to bed? Science is complicated and so often an excuse to NOT help people.
Matthew Walker's team found that it reduced REM sleep, so the quality of sleep would be worse than a normal night's sleep.
But better than a night where you mostly don't sleep.
The individual should decide if it works or not.
Like the sentiment! However Bad study. How do you blind an intoxicant? Ie if your placebo doesn’t make you high. It’s not a great placebo. Sounds like research-as-advertisement-for-a-proprietary-blend-company-I- want to start
Had the best sleeps on weed. Out to it cold. No dreams. Amazing.
Cannabis saved my life.
For sleep , L-Theanine and Ashwagandha.... Knocks em flat!
Man I can't understand most of the words especially the long ones 😭
I'm sorry, but 24 participants for 14 days is not a particularly large study, especially for something that you're saying is suffered by between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3 people depending whether you want to give the benefit of the doubt to only count the chronic sufferers.
I smoke joint everyday
The talk made me sleep haha
You partnered with a pharmaceutical company to research the effects of a drug? And you want to be taken seriously???
Yup, it can
She descibes a protocol that delivers the THC completely differently (ingested) then makes jokes about having a joint (smoking). This would be like describing the driving habits of North America by watching 24 hyrbrid Honda drivers in Fesno only.
24 patients......most comprehensive. Yea. True, but that's more like those advertisements to visit e.g." the biggest red painted tower in the state that has a sparrow figurine with a lil crown on top of it (it's the play tower of my neighbours son btw)" 😂
Yes it can, but get an Indica high percentage. Nothing complicated really😅
I can't sleep without it 😅
Is this from TED2024? For those who don't have insomnia, couldn't THC disrupt sleep cycles and lead to less quality of sleep?
Ahhhhhh yes. Yes it does
It helps a lot,to the point you dont even remember with what you dreamt off!!
If you think it's complicated it is because you make it complicated. It' all on you Doc.
"It's illegal to drive a vehicle under the influence of marijuana." "But why?" "Because it makes you tired." "Then shouldn't governments make sure businesses pay their employees enough where they don't have to work multiple jobs in a single day just to scrape by in life? I feel safer driving next to someone who just took a few hits rather than next to someone who's tired from just working the last 16 hours straight and in a rush to get home."
It's a miracle worker for me, I sleep like a log thru the night and wake up refreshed. One of Medical Professions best kept secret. Just keep pushing big pharma's pills with their horrific side effects.
Hmm yes it can but the sleep your getting isn’t the same. Dr Huberman and a actual expert on sleep talk about it. Same with alcohol it can get you to sleep but it’s not the same sleep.
Why it's illegal is the fact, that pharma does not have a patent on cannabis.
"Duh."