7 Ways Medicinal Marijuana is Helping Insomnia Patients to Sleep
Insomnia is the inability to either fall asleep or remain asleep. This sleeping disorder is responsible for disrupting the lives of millions of people around the globe. Suffering from insomnia can take a toll on your physical as well as mental health, but cannabis can come to your rescue.
If you are suffering from insomnia, the chances are high that someone you know has already suggested you try marijuana. But, if doubts about marijuana are stopping you from trying it, read on to find out if marijuana can help you battle insomnia.
What are the causes of Insomnia?
Traditionally, it was older adults who were more prone to sleep-related disorders. But now, with the fast-paced life and ever-increasing use of technology, we can see insomnia creeping into the younger generation as well. Insomnia can be due to a plethora of reasons, be it physical or mental. It usually has an association with anxiety, stress, chronic pain, menopause, heart diseases and similar health issues. Like there is no one apparent cause, neither there is an apparent cure. Medical cannabis is new hope for insomniacs, for it can get them a good night’s sleep.
What is Medicinal Marijuana?
Medicinal marijuana is nothing but using the same plant but for medical reasons. It is using marijuana plants and chemicals they contain to treat diseases and health problems. The plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids, which are different chemicals. Each chemical has a different effect on the human body. Majorly, Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC and Cannabidiol or CBD are the chemicals that are present in medicines that help in curing insomnia. Cannabis strains like indica and sativa are the most sought after strains by patients of insomnia.
How can medicinal marijuana help treat Insomnia?
Medicinal marijuana is like a god-sent help for people who are suffering from sleep disorders. If you choose the right strain and right amount of it, you will be able to put insomnia behind you and enjoy better sleep. Let’s take a deeper look at how it is able to help:
1. THC works as a sedative:
Medical marijuana is a complex plant that has plenty of effects on the human body, which scientists are trying to decipher. Most users of cannabis report that they feel drowsy or relaxed after using it. That is because of the presence of the chemical THC. THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol helps to calm the patient suffering with insomnia. Once the patient is relaxed, the chemicals make them drowsy and help them to fall asleep faster.
- Improves the sleeping process:
There are mainly four main stages of sleep. They are:
- Half awake stage- It is the first 10 minutes of your sleep
- Light sleep stage- Heart rate at this stage is slow, and body temperature also drops
- Deep sleep stage- This stage is 35-45 minutes after falling asleep. It is at this stage that you get real rest and start healing.
- REM or Rapid Eye Movement Stage- This stage is 90 minutes after you are in a deep sleep. Dreams occur in this stage.
Medicinal cannabis or THC is responsible for making a person fall asleep instantly. It implies that the amount spent in stage three of sleep, which is the deep sleep stage, increases with the use of cannabis. With more time to sleep, the patient feels relaxed, rejuvenated, and has more energy to carry out day-to-day activities. Not only that, when we spend more time in stage three, the duration of REM also dwindles and gives you a dreamless sleep.
3. Reduced anxiety:
Harvard University conducted research in the year 2010 to study the benefits of this medicinal drug. They observed that marijuana helped smokers by improving their mood and also acts as a sedative.
Similarly, if a person is suffering from anxiety, taking an appropriate amount of cannabis can help take away the stress and calm the nerves. It will also improve the overall mental state of the patient, helping them sleep comfortably.
4. Reduces severe pain:
Chronic and acute pain is yet another important cause of insomnia. The pain often makes it difficult for the person to fall asleep. It can further deteriorate the healing process from any injury or disease. Marijuana strains like indica bring down the level of pain without causing any side effects. FDA approved cannabis drugs are also proven to reduce pain and induce sleep.
5.Help in eliminating nightmares:
As we discussed earlier, medicinal marijuana can significantly impact your sleep cycle by interrupting the last REM stage. By increasing the time of deep sleep, it reduces the chances of a person going to the last stage where they experience dreams. The patients of insomnia often suffer from nightmares, which makes it difficult for them to stay asleep. THC has shown positive results for such patients, as it eliminates the chances of nightmares.
6. Treats depression:
If you feel sad and alienated, with a lack of interest in the activities that you liked, you might be suffering from depression. Well, you are not alone, for 350 million people are fighting a battle against depression. Brain chemicals called endocannabinoids are natural chemical compounds that play a role in motor control, emotions, cognition, and behavior. Their chemical makeup is very similar to that of cannabis, implying that treating a deficit of endocannabinoids can help cure depression caused by chronic stress.
7. Helps reduce fear:
People suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD often find it hard to sleep. The memories of a troubled past can become an imminent reason for fear, stress, and nightmares. Here, medicinal marijuana can come to the rescue. Natural chemicals like cannabinoids help in regulating the system that causes anxiety and fear in the brain and body.
Insomnia can disrupt your life by deteriorating your physical as well as mental health. When nothing else works, marijuana becomes a ray of hope to put you to sleep. There are many trusted sources online like online dispensary Canada from where one can get high-quality marijuana for therapeutic use.
