Reduced Cannabis Use Improves Anxiety, Depression, Sleep

Reduced cannabis use is associated with improved anxiety, depression, and sleep quality, according to a recent study. However, it was not associated with improvement in quality of life.For their study, the researchers assessed 302 adult participants between ages 18 and 50 years who had been enrolled in a cannabis use disorder medication trial. Participants were categorized as either reduced cannabis use (n=152) or increased use (n=150) based on the slope of individual cannabis use trajectory. Data on reduced or increased cannabis use was included as a binary covariate in subsequent modeling.

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Changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep quality, and quality of life over the course of the trial were examined in relation to changes in cannabis use.

Results were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, treatment condition, and time-varying tobacco and alcohol use. Ultimately, separate latent growth curve models demonstrated a significant association between reduced cannabis use and improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. However, reduced cannabis use was not associated with improved quality of life.

“These results indicate a longitudinal relationship between reductions in cannabis use and improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality,” the researchers concluded. “Clinicians treating patients with co-occurring cannabis use and problems with anxiety, depression, or sleep quality should attend to cannabis use reduction as a component of treatment.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Hser YI, Mooney LJ, Huang D, et al. Reductions in cannabis use are associated with improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality, but not quality of life. J Subst Abuse Treatment. 2017;81:53-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2017.07.012.