According to the Public Health France barometer, more than half of French students suffer from sleep disorders, with sometimes significant impacts on their studies but also on their health. INSERM researchers recently collected new data confirming the existence of a strong association between sleep quality, insomnia and cannabis use. Explanations.
Sleep, insomnia and cannabis use
The mental health of young French people is a major concern for public health authorities, in particular since the health crisis linked to Covid-19. According to the Public Health Barometer France, 55% of students would have a more or less disturbed sleep, and 19% would suffer from insomnia. These sleep disorders in young people have an impact on the progress and success of their studies, nor on their health, mental or physical.
At the same time, according to the OFDT, cannabis use among young French people is high, with nearly 14% of young people aged 18 to 25 who use cannabis monthly and 4% daily. In a recent study, INSERM researchers looked at the possible link between sleep disorders and cannabis use among French students. They worked on data from 14,787 university students belonging to the i-Share cohort. The students answered online questions related to their cannabis use (frequency) and their sleep (quality of sleep, insomnia, quality of wakefulness during the day, feeling of sleep deprivation).
A strong association between cannabis use and insomnia
In addition, the researchers took into account the socio-demographic factors, the lifestyle and the mental health of the students. The results obtained show a link between cannabis use and the occurrence of sleep disorders in students, and in particular the onset of insomnia. The risk of becoming insomniac was increased by 45% among students who used cannabis, compared to those who did not use the drug.
The risk was even doubled in case of daily cannabis consumption, compared to occasional consumers. Although these results do not demonstrate a direct causal link between cannabis use and the onset of insomnia, they confirm previous data on a strong association between the use of this drug and major sleep disorders.
Raising awareness of the dangers of cannabis on sleep and health
The students interviewed in this new study were on average 20.4 years old. An age where brain development continues and where sleep, both in quantity and quality, plays a crucial role in short, medium and long term health. Moreover, if 22.7% of students reported suffering from insomniathe majority of cannabis-using students mentioned at least one sleep disorder: daytime sleepiness, poor quality of sleep, feeling of not having slept enough.
Insufficient and poor quality sleep can have an impact on the progress of studies, but also on their success and therefore on the social and professional integration of the young people concerned. Finally, insomnia is regularly a chronic sleep disorder, which disrupts sleep for months or even years. This study reveals the importance of prevention messages to the student population, to raise awareness of the multiple dangers of cannabis use.
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
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