Many people take medical cannabis for insomnia. Yet the exact benefits of individual strains differ.
This means that the best strain of medical marijuana for your insomnia or sleeping problem will vary depending on the cause of your insomnia, among several other factors.
Here’s everything you need to know:
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a type of sleeping disorder. If you have insomnia, it might mean you have trouble getting to sleep in the first place or staying asleep once you get there.
There are all sorts of causes of insomnia:
- Work stress
- Personal stress
- Relationship stress
- Personal loss or trauma
- Anxiety or depression
- Medication or medication interactions
- Other sleeping disorders
- Conditions like chronic pain or hypertension
- Too much screen time or other unhealthy sleeping habits like drinking alcohol or caffeine
All in all, insomnia is a condition which almost everyone will become familiar with at some point in their lives.
It leads to a decreased quality of life as you struggle to stay awake and concentrate during the day. You will notice that your mood is easily disrupted. In general, it causes people to miss work and school and can lead to serious safety issues on top of everything else.
Medication for insomnia
Estimates say that around 33% of people in the US will suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives. Of those people, around 95% will attempt to treat their condition with some form of medication.
Many people first try something a little less “serious” than over-the-counter medication. One of the most popular initial reactions is to try a small alcoholic drink before bed – something which can actually exacerbate the poor quality of sleep which insomnia leads to.
Herbal remedies – such as chamomile, lavender or Valerian root – are also often tried. These may work for some people who have very mild difficulty getting to sleep in limited cases. But they are rarely enough to tackle an actual bout of insomnia.
Medical cannabis and insomnia – how does it work?
Medical cannabis – often referred to as medical marijuana – has been used as a sleep aid by large numbers of people for many years.
But only recently, as marijuana begins to be re-legalized for medical purposes across large swathes of the US and around the world, has proper research started to be done on how medical cannabis and insomnia work together.
Cannabis contains several important cannabinoids. These are the organic compounds found in cannabis which act on your endocannabinoid system to produce the effects the plant is known for. Several of these cannabinoids are known to be of benefit to insomnia sufferers:
THC – tetrahydrocannabinol has proven sedative qualities. You will tend to find that indica strains of cannabis are high in THC.
CBD – cannabidiol is the go-to source of a decent night’s sleep for many insomnia sufferers. It has the added advantage that it produces no psychoactive effect (unlike THC).
CBN – cannabinol is perhaps less famous than CBD or THC. But it is significantly more powerfully sedative than the latter.
Taking cannabis oil for insomnia can be done in any number of ways. CBD and THC are available in purified form – having been extracted from the cannabis plant – in the shape of edible gummies, tinctures and other easy-to-take varieties.
However, it is important to bear in mind that, while each of these individual cannabinoids can be very helpful on their own, they will actually have a greater effect when you take them at the same time. This is referred to as the entourage effect and is the reason many people prefer whole plant or full-spectrum products.
The best cannabis strain for insomnia
It is important to reiterate that not all strains of cannabis will be equally effective at treating insomnia.
Plus, not every strain which is good for treating insomnia will be ideal for use with every root cause of sleeping problems.
For example, one strain may be ideal for treating insomnia caused by chronic pain. But it may be less suitable for treating insomnia brought on by anxiety or depression.
Some of the best cannabis strains for insomnia include:
1) Tahoe OG Kush
Tahoe OG Kush is an indica strain and one of the several hybrids of OG Kush which are a great remedy for insomnia.
Powerful and fast-acting, Tahoe OG Kush results in a full-body relaxation effect which is highly prized by thousands of insomnia sufferers.
When it comes to flavor, lemon scents predominate over a slightly peppery or earthy undercurrent.
2) Purple OG Kush
Whereas the slightly hazy, sleepy feeling Purple OG Kush produces may make it unsuitable for daytime use, it makes it the perfect option for many insomnia sufferers.
This is an incredibly potent strain which should really be used in small quantities by most newcomers to the world of medical marijuana.
If you like the sound of those effects combined with the outdoors smell of forest berries and pine needles, Purple OG Kush might just be the one for you.
3) Harlequin
Changing over to a sativa-dominant strain, Harlequin is one of the pre-eminent strain choices for sufferers of anxiety, depression, stress and chronic pain as well as insomnia.
Of course, this makes it the perfect choice if your insomnia is caused by one of the problems listed above. It has almost no psychoactive effect, being heavily weighted in favor of CBD instead of THC.
4) Afghani CBD
Going even further into CBD rather than THC territory, Afghani CBD is also highly suitable for insomnia caused by stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
This is because it produces almost no psychoactive effects whatsoever. It’s also great for sufferers of chronic pain and muscle spasms.
5) Death Star
The effects of the humorously-named Death Star are no joke. These effects come on slowly and gently. But when they take full effect, the result is a state of pleasantly relaxed euphoria which makes getting to sleep all too easy.
Where to buy cannabis oil for insomnia in Oklahoma
If you’re searching Oklahoma for cannabis for insomnia, as always the place to start is in your local licensed dispensary.
Always be sure to check for the quality of the cannabis or cannabis concentrates you are buying. For instance, if you consulted the label of a K.I.N.D. product you would find that they are All-American products grown using natural, organic means.
Of course, before you start working out where to buy cannabis oil for insomnia, you will need to consult your doctor or another medical professional to ensure it’s a good choice for you as well as to get your Oklahoma medical marijuana card.
