We often see cannabis as a way to relax, or even to help us sleep. But according to a recent study carried out on nearly 15,000 students from the i-Share cohort, by Inserm, the University and the CHU of Bordeaux, it would be quite the opposite: cannabis would cause insomnia. Their results are published in the journal Psychiatry Research.
The researchers started from two figures about the sleep disorders: 55% of students report suffering from it, when 19% of them are downright victims of insomnia. In view of the impact of the quality of sleep on learning, it is interesting to understand what explains it… And it turns out that a factor often comes up among students, or at least the 18- 25 years old: cannabis consumption, which concerns 13.9% of them on a monthly scale, and 4% on a daily scale.
Risk increased by two
To see if there could be a link between the two, 14,787 students completed a self-questionnaire with these two factors: the regularity of their exposure to cannabis (over the past year) and the quality of their nights on last three months. Of course, they had to fill in other information, in particular about their consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Questions about their mental health were also included in the questionnaire.
After analyzing their answers, the scientists estimate that smoking cannabis drastically increases the risk of insomnia: by 45%, compared to non-users. For those who smoke it every day? The probability of insomnia is increased by two, compared to those who consume it from time to time or rarely.
“Although the causality cannot be affirmed with certainty, these results suggest the importance of multiplying public health messages to carry out prevention with students, but also with health professionals on the dangers of high consumption of cannabis on the health of young people”concludes Christophe Tzourio, one of the authors of this study.
Sources:
- Cannabis and sleep: insomnia is twice as common among students who use it every day, Inserm press release, February 2023.
- Study of the association between cannabis use and sleep disturbances in a large sample of university students, Psychiatry Research, February 2023.
