Cannabis is currently used at increasing rates across the United States, and the young adult demographic leads all others in total consumption measures. College campuses are not immune to this trend, and the effects of cannabis on student wellbeing are not well understood. Cannabis use is characterized by a wide variety of motivating factors including general enhancement/euphoria related to intoxication and perceived health benefits like sleep induction. The depressant properties of the active ingredient, THC, lead users to believe it may provide sleep benefits, but current literature suggests cannabis use disrupts normal sleep stages, leading to detrimental outcomes. This study examines the relationships between cannabis use and sleep problems in college students.
The study’s sample is composed of 354 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a mid-sized public university who also reported prior-year cannabis use (n= 354, 68% female, mean age= 19.34). Participants completed online questionnaires which assessed the following measures: demographics, cannabis use frequency, problematic cannabis use (via Reduce Annoyed Guilty Start scale), cannabis use motivation related to sleep (via modified Marijuana Motives Measure), sleep problems (via Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and depression symptoms (via Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale). The data was analyzed primarily using path analysis.
Results indicated that almost half of all participants (44%) reported using cannabis with the intention to improve their sleep. Intention to improve sleep with cannabis was associated with increased use frequency and problematic use symptoms. These outcomes were related to daytime dysfunction (drowsiness, etc.). General sleep efficiency was also decreased when cannabis was used as a sleep aid.
Takeaway: these results support existing literature which suggests cannabis does not improve sleep, but rather disrupts its typical properties. Interventions designed to deter or mitigate cannabis use in college students should target improved sleep using empirically valid techniques.