Cannabis & CBD for Sleep & Insomnia: The Science

Dr. Ryan Vandrey from Johns Hopkins University is one of the leading authorities on cannabis, CBD and their impact on sleep and insomnia. He joins Neil for an update on the science related to cannabinoids, and whether cannabis and CBD have a measurable, beneficial impact on sleep, or if the claims about their efficacy as treatments for insomnia are merely marketing hype.

Among the key takeaways in this week's episode:

"There is data to support that it'll help you get to sleep faster, and that's going to be specific to THC. That has not been demonstrated with CBD."

"Cannabis and CBD are being extolled as cures for all kinds of stuff. So we have this interesting scenario where this is an industry born in the illicit drug use market - and it's become licit and legal, but it's not very tightly regulated. So people are making all kinds of claims and marketing and trying to get people to use it for anything and everything. There needs to be some level of skepticism with the claims. And as a scientist, I always say, "Show me the data."

"The other thing that's really limited in understanding the effects of cannabis on sleep - especially as a treatment for sleep problems - is that most of the studies have been done have been on healthy individuals without sleep problems."

Along with Ryan, Dr. Michael Grandner is back with the latest in sleep science. (And we follow up on a Twitter exchange that revealed a fun blast from Michael's past!)

LINKAPALOOZA:

Dr. Ryan Vandrey's bio on the Johns Hopkins website (with links to much of his work)

Ryan's 2014 study on the intersection of sleep disorders, PTSD and substance abuse

Our ranking of The All-Time 15 Best Songs About Sleep

The study Michael refers to about a blood test for sleeplessness is here.

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