Component Of Cannabis Plant Found To Improve Sleep, According To New Research

A new study indicates the potential of a component in the cannabis plant for improving sleep, reports the Cannabis Business Times.

The research, conducted by the University of Sydney Lambert Initiative shows that cannabinol (CBN) increases both REM and non-REM sleep in rats. Human trials are now underway, according to the study that was published in the leading journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

“For decades, cannabis folklore has suggested that aged cannabis makes consumers sleepy via the build-up of CBN, however there was no convincing evidence for this,” said lead author on the study Professor Jonathon Arnold, director of preclinical research, at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics and the Sydney Pharmacy School.

“Our study provides the first objective evidence that CBN increases sleep, at least in rats, by modifying the architecture of sleep in a beneficial way,” Arnold said.

Cannabinol is a cannabinoid that is created when (THC) molecules break down as hemp material matures.  CBN has been marketed in the U.S. as an alternate to sleep aids that can promote rest, relaxation and sleep.  But the authors of the study state there has been little high-quality scientific evidence to support this application.

The research team at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics used high-tech monitoring to test the effects of purified CBN on the sleep patterns of rats, including the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

NREM is deep sleep that promotes physical recovery and strengthens memories, while REM sleep is associated with dreaming and processing of emotions.

“CBN was found to increase both NREM and REM sleep, leading to increased total sleep time, with a comparable effect to the known sleep drug zolpidem,” Arnold said.

Though THC is the parent molecule of CBN, the researchers found that this cannabinoid only weakly activated the CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain and did not result in intoxication.

“This provides the first evidence that CBN indeed increases sleep using objective sleep measures,” said Arnold. “It was a surprise that CBN metabolism in the body can yield a much greater effect on cannabinoid CB1 receptors than the parent molecule CBN, which has much more limited activity.”

The researchers added, “CBN increased sleep stability as evidenced by longer duration NREM sleep bouts; this is significant as increased sleep stability has been associated with improved subjective sleep quality.”

It was noted that further research is needed to see if the results translate to humans.

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