Inflammation influences the effects of cannabis on anxiety and sleep

Summary: A new study shows that inflammation levels influence how cannabis affects anxiety and sleep quality. The researchers did not find general changes in inflammatory markers after 4 weeks of cannabis consumption, but moderate basal inflammation results.

Cannabis products rich in CBD constantly reduced negative mood and improved sleep, while ThC heavy products had more variable effects. The findings suggest that the immune state helps to explain why some people benefit from cannabis more than others.

Key facts:

Moderation by inflammation: The basal levels of cytokines shape how cannabis improved mood and sleep. CBD exceeds THC: CBD products showed benefits consisting at all levels of inflammation. Non -cytokines Change: Cannabis use did not reduce inflammatory cytokines during study.

Source: Neuroscience News

Cannabis appears more and more in conversations on mental health and sleep, and many people promote their benefits to calm the mind and relieve insomnia. However, research has long fought to explain why some people report dramatic improvements, while others see few changes, or even feel worse.

A new study offers a new perspective: the answer can be in a player often overlooked: his immune system.

The researchers set out to prove whether the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabinoids, particularly cannabidiol (CBD) and Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could explain the effects of cannabis on anxiety and sleep.

They presumed that cannabis consumption would reduce inflammation markers in the body, which could translate to improve mood and sleep. They also asked a more nuanced question: their level of inflammation at the beginning of the influence of the way it responds to cannabis?

The study registered 171 adults with mild or greater anxiety, some of which were randomly assigned to use one of the three “chemicals” of Cannabis: DIVINANT OF THC, Dominant of CBD or a uniform Mix of THC and CBD. A fourth group of participants with anxiety served as non -users.

For four weeks, cannabis users consumed their ad libitum products, while all participants reported their mood, stress and sleep quality and provided blood samples for the analysis of inflammatory cytokines.

The results were surprising and illuminating. On the one hand, the use of cannabis for four weeks did not reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines in general. That means that cannabis did not seem to have a measurable anti -inflammatory effect at the systemic level.

However, when the researchers analyzed the basal inflammatory state, how inflamed a person was already at the beginning, they found cannabis benefits significantly moderately. People with the greatest inflammation experienced greater improvements both in anxiety and sleep quality compared to those with lower inflammation.

CBD emerged as the most reliable star of the show. At all levels of inflammation, the dominant and balanced CBD chemicals of CBD were associated with reductions consisting of negative affection, measured as a combination of depression, anxiety and stress, and a better dream.

Thc’s dominant products, on the contrary, showed more variable effects that depended largely on a person’s inflammatory state. Those with moderate inflammation benefited, but at the ends, very low or very high inflammation, the effects of THC by themselves were inconsistent or absent.

These findings help to reconcile part of the mixed evidence in the literature. Many previous studies have reported contradictory results on the impact of cannabis on mental health and sleep, and THC in particular produces beneficial and harmful results depending on the study.

This new work suggests that individual differences in the activity of the immune system could explain much of that variability. It is also aligned with the known biology of CBD, which has been demonstrated in preclinical work to suppress the inflammatory signaling paths and modulate immune responses more effectively than THC.

Why is inflammation important?

Chronic low -grade inflammation has been involved in mood disorders, including anxiety and depression, as well as sleep alterations. High levels of cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-Alpha have been repeatedly related to the worst mental health results and a poorer sleep quality.

The findings of this study suggest that cannabis can be more effective in those whose anxiety and sleep problems are at least partially driven by inflammation.

Interestingly, even the participants who did not use cannabis reported some improvements in the mood during the four weeks, which probably reflects the natural flow and the flow of symptoms or placebo effects.

But these improvements were smaller and less consistent than those observed with products rich in CBD. In terms of sleep, the use of cannabis clearly exceeded non -use, particularly among the participants with the greatest inflammation at the beginning, a group that is known to have a higher risk of insomnia.

The study has some notable strengths. It was carried out in a naturalistic environment, and the participants bought and consumed commercially available cannabis products instead of taking controlled doses in a laboratory.

This increases the ecological validity of the findings and reflects how most people really use cannabis. The participants also self -administered cannabis in their preferred frequency and doses, which allowed researchers to observe patterns of real world use.

There are also limitations. Without a placebo control, it is impossible to completely discard the effects of expectation. The study only tracked participants for four weeks, so it is not clear if the benefits persist or decrease over time.

And although inflammation was measured through cytokine levels, the study did not explore the effects located in the brain, where inflammation and immune signage are especially relevant to mood and sleep.

However, the work provides a convincing case to consider the immune state when evaluating or recommending cannabis for mental health and sleep. He suggests that people with greater inflammation can benefit more from cannabis, particularly from CBD products, while those with low inflammation can see little improvement.

So what does this mean for people who turn to cannabis to relieve their anxiety or sleep better?

First, it reinforces the importance of choosing the correct product: the highs in CBD seem to offer more consistent benefits, while THC dominant strains can be less reliable.

Second, the need for more personalized approaches stands out. As the researchers deepen their understanding of how immune health, cannabis chemistry and mental well -being intersect, it may be possible to adapt the treatments based on the inflammatory profile of an individual.

In an era in which cannabis consumption is generalized and, often, self -directed, studies like this offer a valuable reminder: the endocannabinoid system interacts not only with the nervous system but also with the immune system. Understand that interaction could unlock new ways to take advantage of cannabis potential to improve mental health, and explain why the same does not work for everyone.

For now, the message to take home is clear: when it comes to cannabis, a size does not fit everyone. But for those with anxiety and poor sleep linked to inflammation, CBD products can offer a promising option that is worth exploring, ideally in consultation with health professionals that can help guide safe and informed use.

About this news of CBD, inflammation and sleep research

Author: Neuroscience News Communications
Source: Neuroscience News
Contact: Neuroscience News Communications – Neuroscience News
Image: The image is accredited to Neuroscience News

Original research: open access.
“The inflammatory state moderates the response to cannabis about negative affection and sleep quality in individuals” by L. Cinnamon Bidwell et al. Borders in behavioral neuroscience

Abstract

The inflammatory state moderates the response to cannabis about the negative affection and the quality of sleep in people with anxiety

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation has been involved as an underlying pathology in negative affection and sleep interruption. Cannabinoids such as Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate whether cannabis uses the altered concentration of cytokines and if the inflammatory state moderated the 4 weeks of use of cannabis on negative affection and sleep quality in anxious individuals.

Methods: participants with mild or greater anxiety (n = 147) were assigned to one of the three chimiovares of cannabis (THC + CBD, THC, CBD), they were asked to consume their ad libitum products for 4 weeks, and compared with a group of participants with anxiety that did not use cannabis (n = 24).

Negative affection measures (depression and stress anxiety scale-21: DASS-21), sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index: PSQI) and cytokine concentrations in plasma measured at the beginning and week 4. Multilevel modeling evaluated if there were changes dependent on the group in cytokine concentrations over time, and if the basal inflammation moderated the association between cannabis and negative affection and sleep quality.

Results: There were no dependent changes in the group in cytokine concentrations throughout the study (p = 0.12). It was observed that the basal inflammatory state moderated the group relationship for time for DASS-21 (p <0.001) and PSQI (p = 0.04). In both models, the highest chemicals in CBD produced more consistent improvements, while the improvements associated with THC varied according to the basal inflammatory state.

Conclusion: These novel findings suggest that the basal inflammatory state influences the relationship between cannabis use, negative affection and sleep quality in people with anxiety.