Cannabinoids: Emerging sleep modulator

Summary & key facts

This paper is a review of recent research about how cannabinoids affect sleep. The authors collected and discussed studies that link the body's cannabinoid system to sleep and wake cycles. They explain that changing cannabinoid signals can increase deep non-rapid-eye-movement sleep and make people fall asleep faster. But changing the main brain receptor, called CB1, can also cause psychotropic effects, which means changes to mood, thinking, or perception. The paper points out that targeting the other receptor, CB2, might help sleep without those mind-changing side effects, and the review explores how this could matter for treating sleep problems.

Key facts:

• Sleep is essential for health, thinking, alertness, and metabolism, and poor sleep raises the risk of problems like memory loss, diabetes, stroke, and some brain disorders.
• The paper is a review that summarizes recent findings about the role of cannabinoids in controlling sleep and wakefulness.
• Cannabinoids are natural fat-based signaling molecules that mainly act through two receptors in the body, called CB1 and CB2.
• Altering cannabinoid signaling at CB1 has been linked with sleep-promoting effects, such as more non-rapid-eye-movement sleep and a shorter time to fall asleep.
• Changing CB1 activity can cause psychotropic effects, meaning changes in mood, thinking, or perception, which may limit its clinical use.
• Altering CB2 receptors does not show those psychotropic effects in the same way, so CB2 is suggested as a safer target to study for possible sleep treatments.
• The authors say it is important to learn more about the brain mechanisms behind cannabinoids and sleep before cannabinoids can be used safely as treatments for sleep disorders.

Abstract

Sleep is an essential biological phase of our daily life cycle and is necessary for maintaining homeostasis, alertness, metabolism, cognition, and other key functions across the animal kingdom. Dysfunctional sleep leads to deleterious effects on health, mood, and cognition, including memory deficits and an increased risk of diabetes, stroke, and neurological disorders. Sleep is regulated by several brain neuronal circuits, neuromodulators, and neurotransmitters, where cannabinoids have been increasingly found to play a part in its modulation. Cannabinoids, a group of lipid metabolites, are regulatory molecules that bind mainly to cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2). Much evidence supports the role of cannabinoid receptors in the modulation of sleep, where their alteration exhibits sleep-promoting effects, including an increase in non-rapid-eye movement sleep and a reduction in sleep latency. However, the pharmacological alteration of CB1 receptors is associated with adverse psychotropic effects, which are not exhibited in CB2 receptor alteration. Hence, selective alteration of CB2 receptors is also of clinical importance, where it could potentially be used in treating sleep disorders. Thus, it is crucial to understand the neurobiological basis of cannabinoids in sleep physiology. In this review article, the alteration of the endocannabinoid system by various cannabinoids and their respective effects on the sleep-wake cycle are discussed based on recent findings. The mechanisms of the cannabinoid receptors on sleep and wakefulness are also explored for their clinical implications and potential therapeutic use on sleep disorders.

Topics

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

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Agonist Cannabinoid Cannabinoid receptor Cannabinoid receptor type 2 Computer science Electroencephalography Endocannabinoid system Internal medicine Medicine Neuroscience Operating system Psychology Receptor Sleep (system call) Wakefulness

Substances

Cannabis

Conditions & symptoms

Sleep disorder Poor sleep