Sleepy Weed Shows Significant Improvement in Sleep Quality

For the first time, scientific evidence shows that a lesser-known component of the cannabis plant—cannabinol (CBN)—can provide longer and better-quality sleep. This breakthrough opens the door for the development of a cannabis-based sleep aid comparable to existing medications.

Backing Up Anecdotal Claims

Researchers from the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative have provided much-needed scientific backing for anecdotal claims that the accumulation of CBN in older plants has a sleep-inducing effect. This compound is a minor component of the plant and is far less studied and understood than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

For decades, there was a belief that aged cannabis made consumers sleepy due to CBN build-up, but convincing evidence was lacking,” explained Jonathon Arnold, professor and director of preclinical research at the Lambert Initiative. “Our study provides the first objective evidence that CBN increases sleep, at least in rats, by beneficially modifying the structure of sleep.

Measuring CBN’s Effects on Sleep Stages

In the animal study, the team monitored sleeping rats’ brain patterns to specifically assess non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM sleep is an essential restorative phase, also important for maintaining memory functions, while REM sleep, the stage where dreams occur, is crucial for emotional processing and brain health.

Arnold stated, “We found that CBN increases both NREM and REM sleep, leading to a longer total sleep time with an effect comparable to the known sleep drug zolpidem.”

Zolpidem, best known by its brand name Ambien, is a powerful sedative that can lead to nocturnal behaviors such as sleepwalking and sleep eating. It can also cause next-day drowsiness and “brain fog.“

CBN’s Unique Effects on Sleep without Intoxication

While CBN derives from the psychoactive THC molecule, the researchers found that it weakly activates the brain’s CB1 cannabinoid receptors without causing intoxication. However, it does act on brain areas involved in sleep, enhancing REM and non-REM sleep.

This is the first evidence that CBN increases sleep using objective sleep measures,Arnold stated. We were surprised to discover that the body’s metabolism of CBN can produce a much stronger effect on CB1 receptors than the original CBN molecule.

In the study, researchers noted that “CBN increased sleep stability, shown by longer NREM sleep bouts; this is significant, as increased sleep stability is linked to improved subjective sleep quality.

CBN’s Potential for Insomnia Treatment

These findings suggest that CBN may be especially useful for those who have trouble staying asleep or suffer from early morning awakenings, as it has a delayed onset but is longer-lasting than zolpidem

Our research is unique because we assessed the effects of CBN as a single molecule, the researchers highlighted. “Most human studies investigating CBN’s effects on sleep combined it with other phytocannabinoids, making it difficult to assess its hypnotic effects alone.”

This was the case for a 2018 human sleep trial, which did not specifically target CBN. While purified CBN sleep aids are available in many U.S. states, scientific evidence of their effectiveness and safety has been lacking.

Researchers expect to conduct further studies on CBN following this animal study, and Professor Iain McGregor, Director of Clinical Research at the Lambert Initiative, plans to publish results from a parallel human trial soon.

“Our research encourages further basic and clinical studies on CBN as a new treatment strategy for sleep disorders, including insomnia,” said McGregor. “Our clinical study administered CBN in a single dose only. A larger-scale trial with repeated dosing is a logical next step.”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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