{"id":612,"date":"2019-05-21T04:55:22","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T04:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mymarijuanacards.com\/michigan\/?p=612"},"modified":"2023-05-04T17:39:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T17:39:02","slug":"holy-smoke-marijuana-contends-for-the-title-of-best-sleep-aid-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymarijuanacards.com\/michigan\/holy-smoke-marijuana-contends-for-the-title-of-best-sleep-aid-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Smoke: Marijuana Contends for the Title of Best Sleep Aid on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Most everyone knows weed makes you sleepy. It\u2019s easily marijuana\u2019s most commonly associated effect.<\/p>

\u200bWith this in mind, it’s likely no surprise that research shows cannabis is an extremely effective treatment for insomnia: a state of difficulty falling and or staying asleep.<\/p>

The Ohio Medical board is considering adding five new conditions to those that qualify for treatment with medical marijuana, including insomnia, depression,\u00a0anxiety<\/a>,\u00a0autism<\/a>, and\u00a0opioid addiction<\/a>. We\u2019re delving more deeply into each one to provide up-to-date information on access, conditions and treatment options.<\/p>

(Edit 6\/14\/19: Ohio\u2019s 12-member medical board was set to make a final vote June 12, however the<\/em>\u00a0voting has been postponed<\/em><\/a>\u00a0as the board’s two new members haven’t had time to read up on the issues. The president of the board said there is “no rush” on approving new conditions and no official date has been set.)<\/em>
Insomnia<\/strong><\/p>

Most everyone knows weed makes you sleepy. It\u2019s easily marijuana\u2019s most commonly associated effect. With this in mind, it’s likely no surprise that research shows cannabis is an extremely effective treatment for insomnia: a state of difficulty falling and or staying asleep.<\/p>

Most insomnia is temporary; brought on by\u00a0occasional periods of high stress. But when the condition persists, and habit patterns are formed, it can become a \u00a0repeating cycle and turn chronic.<\/p>

Most traditional methods of treating insomnia work on GABA receptors to inhibit nervous system activity. Marijuana mostly helps block stress-response, suppressing nervous excitation before \u00a0it happens.<\/p>

There’s no magic solution as each case is different, though stress is a strong common denominator.<\/p>

This TED video illustrates the insomnia process perfectly:<\/p>

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Insomnia has a strong correlation with\u00a0anxiety<\/a>; stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, are often its primary antagonists. They build up in the body causing overactive nervous response that makes the brain too charged to rest properly. Lack of sleep over time burns the brain’s energy reserves, wreaking havoc on overall health.<\/p>

\u200bAn article from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine<\/a>\u00a0explains:<\/p>

\u201cInsomnia is thought to be a disorder of hyperarousal experienced throughout the entire day. This hyperarousal may exhibit itself as a state of hypervigilance during the day and difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep at night. This arousal is currently explained by both cognitive and physiological models of insomnia. The cognitive model suggests that worry and rumination about life stresses disrupt sleep, creating acute episodes of insomnia, especially in initiating sleep and returning back to sleep after an awakening. Then, once an individual begins to experience sleep difficulties, worry and rumination shift from life events to worries about sleep itself and about the daytime consequences of not getting enough sleep. This negatively-toned cognitive activity is further fueled if a sleep-related threat is detected or a sleep deficit is perceived.\u201d<\/p>

Dr. Allen Frankel, MD explains in this video how he uses cannabis to treat specific types of insomnia with success.<\/p>