An Exploration of the use of Cannabis as a Sleep-Aid

Proper sleep is very important to a person’s health. Impaired sleep has been linked to health risks.

Insomnia symptoms are reported by up to 87% of cancer patients, making it one of the most common side effects of cancer treatments. Many cancer survivors use cannabis as a treatment for cancer-related symptoms, including poor sleep. The effects of cannabis on sleep depend on many factors such as the formula, dosage, and method of ingestion. There has been little research on the motives of Canadian cancer survivors who use cannabis. We need to better understand the reasons why and how they use cannabis products as a sleep aid to inform research that will better address their sleep problems. 

Participants will complete a survey about their cancer, cannabis use, beliefs about cannabis, other health concerns, and sleep. Then we will analyze the responses to determine who is using cannabis as a sleep aid, what they are using, and why. 

This will be the first in-depth project that focuses on cannabis’ effects on the sleep of cancer survivors using a validated measure of insomnia. This project will help us understand the patterns and reasons for cannabis use as a sleep aid in cancer survivors. This knowledge will contribute to the research that aims to improve the health and quality of life of people who have been diagnosed with cancer.