Season 6 | Episode 15
DR. BHANU PRAKASH KOLLA
There are currently 40 states with legalized medical marijuana. Twenty-four of these also have legalized recreational marijuana. Many people report using cannabis to help them to initiate and maintain sleep. Is there any data to support this? Is cannabis safer than prescription sleep aids? What should we know about cannabis and sleep? Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla discusses the impact of cannabis on sleep and its potential use to treat sleep disorders.
Bhanu Prakash Kolla, MD, FRCPsych is a professor of psychiatry and psychology, co-chair for education, and a consultant at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, with clinical duties in the Center for Sleep Medicine, department of medicine, and the division of addiction medicine, department of psychiatry and psychology. He is internationally recognized as an expert working at the intersection of sleep disorders and addiction. His research areas of highest interest are sleep disturbances in early alcohol recovery, the intersection between substance use and sleep disorders, insomnia treatment resistance, and novel treatments for insomnia.
Resources
- Stueber A, Cuttler C. A large-scale survey of cannabis use for sleep: preferred products and perceived effects in comparison to over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids. Explor Med. 2023;4:709–19. https://doi.org/10.37349/emed.2023.00171 3–165.
- Ramar K, Rosen IM, Kirsch DB, Chervin RD, Carden KA, Aurora RN, Kristo DA, Malhotra RK, Martin JL, Olson EJ, Rosen CL, Rowley JA; American Academy of Sleep Medicine Board of Directors. Medical Cannabis and the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Apr 15;14(4):679-681. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7070
- https://aasm.org/viewpoints-cannabis-and-sleep-disorders-what-clinicians-need-to-know/
- https://aasm.org/marijuana-use-leads-to-lost-sleep-for-half-of-americans/
