The effect of nightly use of 150 mg cannabidiol on daytime neurocognitive performance in primary insomnia: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Summary & key facts

Researchers tested whether taking 150 mg of cannabidiol, placed under the tongue about one hour before bed, changed daytime thinking or mood in people with primary insomnia. Thirty people took part, with 15 getting CBD and 15 getting a fake treatment, for two weeks after a one-week run-in. Daytime thinking skills were similar in both groups, but people on CBD said they felt calmer, clearer-headed, and better coordinated, and they reported dry mouth more often. The trial was small and short, so the results are preliminary and need larger studies to be sure.

Key facts:

• The study gave 150 mg of cannabidiol each night under the tongue to 15 people with primary insomnia for two weeks.
• Another 15 people with the same condition took a placebo, which is a fake treatment that looks the same but has no active drug.
• Tests of attention, memory, reasoning, and processing showed no difference in daytime thinking between the CBD group and the placebo group.
• People taking CBD reported feeling more calm, more clear-headed, and more coordinated across the trial than those on placebo.
• Dry mouth was reported more often by the people taking CBD than by those taking placebo.
• The researchers described the safety of nightly CBD as generally favorable in this short trial, but they said larger and longer studies are needed to confirm the findings and to look at different types of insomnia.

Abstract

RATIONALE: Cannabidiol (CBD) is increasingly used as a sleep aid for insomnia; yet neurocognitive and subjective state effects following daily therapeutic use are unclear. OBJECTIVES: To measure the effect of daily CBD use on neurocognitive performance and daily subjective mood in a population with primary insomnia. METHODS: This study used a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel design incorporating a single-blind placebo run-in week followed by a two-week double-blind dosing period, during which participants consumed 150 mg CBD (N = 15) or placebo (N = 15) sublingually 60-minutes daily before bed. Attention, executive function, reasoning, information processing, working and episodic memory were assessed using the CogPro system at the beginning of the placebo run-in, after 1-week and 2-weeks of dosing. Subjective states using visual analogue scales and side effects were recorded daily. RESULTS: Cognitive performance was unaffected by nightly CBD supplementation (all p > 0.05). From baseline to trial conclusion, those receiving CBD reported greater experience of calmness, clear-headedness, coordination and were more likely to report side-effects of dry mouth relative to placebo (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Relative to placebo, daytime cognitive functioning following nightly supplementation as a therapeutic aid for primary insomnia was preserved under trial conditions. Results suggested an overall favourable safety profile, with larger controlled trials and thorough analyses of varying insomnia phenotypes necessary to corroborate these findings.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Sleep and related disorders Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Alternative medicine Anesthesia Cannabidiol Cannabis Cognition Environmental health Insomnia Internal medicine Medicine Mood Neurocognitive Pathology Placebo Population Primary Insomnia Psychiatry Psychology Randomized controlled trial Sleep disorder

Substances

Cannabis Other

Conditions & symptoms

Sleep disorder Poor sleep