Sleep disorders are unfortunately all too common in today’s modern world. The American Sleep Association has estimated that roughly sixty million American adults suffer from one type of sleep disorder or another. Their findings also go on to show that approximately thirty percent of the population will have experienced insomnia at some time in their life with another ten percent that will deal with insomnia on a chronic basis. While not directly life threatening, not being able to receive enough sleep over periods of time can have a significant negative impact on a person’s quality of life and overall health.
With so many people afflicted by by these disorders, there are no shortage of treatments out there to help us catch some zzz’s. While there are myriad over-the-counter medications that claim to solve these issues but often come along with undesirable side-effects and may become habit forming. Prescription medications are also available but they can be costly (even with insurance) and sometimes have similar side-effects to their prescription-less counterparts including the potential of addiction. Due to these negative factors, many people have sought alternative and more natural forms of treatment for their insomnia, including the use of cannabis.
The compound found in marijuana known as Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has shown to help induce sleep so many folks have turned to their local dispensaries to find marijuana that contains a high percentage of the compound to help them with their sleepless nights. Another important factor to consider for those planning on attempting to treat their insomnia with weed is what type of strain they should use.
Indica strains by and far have proven to be the most effective at helping folks relax and reduce stress, though there are some high THC hybrid strains that could also get the job done just as well. You’ll probably want to avoid most, if not all, sativas entirely as they tend to give you energy and could keep your mind racing when you’re trying to go to bed. Your local budtenders will be more than happy to help if you are having trouble trying to decide which strands would probably work best.
While the THC that is found in weed may in fact help most people fall asleep quicker, marijuana use has been questioned as a viable long-term form of treatment for chronic sleep disorders. More research is definitely needed in this area as there are several differing schools of thought on the matter as some researchers are very much proponents of using cannabis and its related products to help people sleep due to the relative lack of side-effects, while others argue that cannabis use could potentially alter your sleep patterns and inhibit R.E.M. sleep thereby making it counterproductive to use as a a sleep aid.
As with any medicine or supplement, always be sure to do your homework and consult your doctor first before you make the decision on whether or not cannabis would be an effective treatment for your sleep disorder. It’s always worked well for me.
