New study finds medicinal cannabis may reduce total sleep time in adults
The common struggle to get a good night's sleep is one of the top reasons why Australians are turning to medicinal cannabis, but experts say the science is yet to prove the products work.
Jodie Buddle turned to a trial of medicinal cannabis after years struggling with insomnia, which only worsened with menopause and stress.
"Sometimes I don't sleep at all during the night and I have to function at work the next day, I don't trust myself to drive a car," Buddle said.
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The common struggle to get a good night's sleep is one of the top reasons why Australians are turning to medicinal cannabis, but experts say the science is yet to prove the products work. 9News
Experts at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney tested oil drops containing two chemicals from the cannabis plant, CBD and mind-altering THC.
Dr Camilla Hoyos said the team recruited 20 people who were in the lab for two nights, receiving the medication on one night and the placebo on the other.
The results weren't what they expected.
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"When participants had the medication, they had less sleep than when they had the placebo, so we saw a reduction in sleep time of about 25 minutes," Hoyos said.
They saw less rapid eye movement, an important stage of sleep when most dreams occur.
"We were quite surprised, we were hoping this might be a new treatment," Hoyos said.
Up to a third of Australians struggle with insomnia.
It is one of the top health complaints driving people to pay for unapproved medicinal cannabis through a special access scheme but the science doesn't yet stack up.
"We do need more research, we only now have a number of small short-term studies," Hoyos said.
A separate, much larger, study is now underway testing a synthetic form of CBD designed to be more potent.
It is recruiting 500 Australians across the country.
The company behind that trial aims to be the first in the world to supply pharmacies so consumers can buy it over the counter.
Trial results will be used to satisfy health regulators.
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