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. 2010 Oct;11(9):882-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2010.02.013. Epub 2010 Aug 3.

Polysomnogram changes in marijuana users who report sleep disturbances during prior abstinence

Karen I Bolla  1 , Suzanne R Lesage, Charlene E Gamaldo, David N Neubauer, Nae-Yuh Wang, Frank R Funderburk, Richard P Allen, Paula M David, Jean Lud Cadet
Affiliations

Polysomnogram changes in marijuana users who report sleep disturbances during prior abstinence

Karen I Bolla et al. Sleep Med. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Abrupt discontinuation of heavy marijuana (MJ) use is associated with self-reports of sleep difficulty. Disturbed sleep is clinically important because MJ users experiencing sleep problems may relapse to MJ use to improve their sleep quality. Few studies have used polysomnography (PSG) to characterize changes in sleep architecture during abrupt abstinence from heavy MJ use.

Methods: We recorded PSG measures on nights 1, 2, 7, 8, and 13 after abrupt MJ discontinuation in 18 heavy MJ users residing in an inpatient unit.

Results: Across abstinence, Total Sleep Time (TST), Sleep Efficiency (SEff), and amount of REM sleep declined, while Wake after Sleep Onset (WASO) and Periodic Limb Movements (PLM) increased. Furthermore, quantity (joints/week) and duration (years) of MJ use were positively associated with more PLMs.

Conclusion: The treatment of sleep disturbance is a potential target for the management of cannabis use disorders since poor sleep could contribute to treatment failure in heavy MJ users.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr. Bolla has no conflict of interest. Dr. Lesage has no conflict of interest. Dr. Gamaldo has contracted with GlaxoSmith Kline to conduct Study RXP110908. Dr. Neubauer has received Honoraria from Sanofi-Aventis and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Wang has no conflict of interest. Mr. Funderburk has no conflict of interest. Dr. Allen has participated in the GlaxoSmith Kline grant (Study of Augmentation) at johns Hopkins; consulted and spoken for GlaxoSmith Kline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, UCB Pharma, and Responics; and granted free use of some PAM-RL devices. Ms. David has no conflict of interest. Dr. Cadet has no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figures 1a – 1d/. During 14 days of abstinence, MJ users (triangles) showed deteriorations in specific indices of sleep, including reduced TST, a fall in SEff, reduced REM/%TST, and increased WASO. For reference only, the figure also shows the PSG results from an age matched-drug-free comparison group (circles) (N = 16) with two nights of PSG, (see Bolla et al., 2008 for more detail)(16).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Figures 1a – 1d/. During 14 days of abstinence, MJ users (triangles) showed deteriorations in specific indices of sleep, including reduced TST, a fall in SEff, reduced REM/%TST, and increased WASO. For reference only, the figure also shows the PSG results from an age matched-drug-free comparison group (circles) (N = 16) with two nights of PSG, (see Bolla et al., 2008 for more detail)(16).
Figure 2
Figure 2
MJ using women (top line - circles) showed a significant mean difference of 28.9 min more TST, 6 min more REM sleep than men (bottom line - triangles) do across nights of abstinence. Sex-Related Differences in TST and REM during Abstinence
Figure 3
Figure 3
Four of the MJ users (22% of the group) developed a significant number of PLMs (index >10) during the 14 days of abstinence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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