You’ve doubtless heard the hype: Weed can help you sleep. Gummies cure insomnia. A lot of consumers fall for it, but what the science says should be a major wake-up call. We’ve compiled some helpful data below to remind you that marijuana is not medicine, is dangerous and addictive, and will not in any way improve your health.
Prevalence
- A 2025 national survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation estimated that 9% of adults currently used marijuana to help with sleep and that 17% of adults previously used marijuana for that reason. When extrapolated to the national population, they said, “over 23 million US adults currently use cannabis-based products to help them sleep, while nearly twice that number have previously tried cannabis-based products for sleep.”
Additionally, the survey found that 23% of adults, or more than 60 million, said they were likely to consider using marijuana in the future to help with sleep.
- A 2025 study in JAMA Pediatrics, citing data from the Monitoring the Future 2022–2023 panel study, found that 22.4% of 19–30-year-olds used either alcohol or marijuana to get to sleep. It estimated that 18.3% used marijuana and 7.2% used alcohol, with some respondents reporting the use of both substances to get to sleep.
- A 2019 survey published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs of 1,000 customers at two marijuana dispensaries in Colorado found that 74% of respondents reported using marijuana in part to help with sleep. Of note, this study included only users of recreational marijuana, excluding those who used medical marijuana.
Research
- A 2025 systematic review in Sleep Medicine Reviews, based on 120 studies, concluded that “cannabis use was associated with poorer sleep quality, shorter or longer sleep duration, more insomnia symptoms, and later sleep midpoint in observational studies.”
- A 2023 study in Exploration Medicine found that people who used marijuana for sleeping “indicated they were more sleepy, anxious, and irritable in the mornings following the use of cannabis relative to other sleep aids.”
- Megan Patrick, who led the JAMA Pediatrics study about using alcohol and marijuana to sleep, said in an interview that “using these substances to get to sleep can backfire because they can interfere with the ability to stay asleep and with the quality of sleep,” adding that “long-term, regular use of these substances to get to sleep may lead to worse sleep problems and increased risk for substance use disorder.”
- MedlinePlus, published by the National Library of Medicine, noted that trouble sleeping can be a symptom of marijuana withdrawal.
Recommendations
- Joseph Dzierzewski, a leader of the National Sleep Foundation, said: “we know a significant proportion of American adults are looking for ways to improve their sleep and many now are turning to cannabis-based products. Unfortunately, there currently is limited and mixed scientific evidence that supports the effectiveness of cannabis to help with sleep problems.”
- The American Academy of Sleep Medicine said: “it is the position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) that medical cannabis and/or its synthetic extracts should not be used for the treatment of [obstructive sleep apnea] due to unreliable delivery methods and insufficient evidence of effectiveness, tolerability, and safety.”
- Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, in an article published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine about the link between marijuana and sleep disorders, said, “despite the extensive use to treat sleep disturbances, the evidence supporting the use of cannabis products to improve insomnia symptoms and other sleep disturbances is limited. Recent systematic reviews and scoping analyses examining the impact of cannabis products on insomnia symptoms have found insufficient evidence to support routine clinical use of cannabinoid therapies for treating any sleep disorders.”
- The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, within the NIH, highlighted a review of 12 studies about CBD that “indicated that there was insufficient evidence to support the use of cannabinoid therapies for treating any sleep disorder.” The NCCIH added that “CBD may have side effects, including decreases in alertness, changes in mood, decreased appetite, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. In addition, CBD use has been associated with liver injury, male reproductive harm, and interactions with other drugs.”
- In 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense specifically advised against using marijuana and its derivatives to treat chronic insomnia disorder.
That’s about as clear as it can get. Don’t fall for the industry line on naptime.