How cannabis affects sleep and daily body-clock timing in young adults
Cannabis effects on sleep, circadian rhythms, and light sensitivity in young people
This project will look at how regular cannabis use and stopping it change sleep patterns and how light affects the body clock in people aged 18–25.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11321284 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are 18–25 and use cannabis regularly, researchers will monitor your sleep during one week of usual use and across four weeks after you stop using. You'll wear sleep monitors, have brief clinic visits with sleep EEG recordings, keep sleep logs, and complete light-sensitivity tests to see how your circadian system responds. The team will compare measures of sleep need and how light shifts your internal clock before and after cannabis discontinuation, and include both male and female participants. Participation involves in-person visits at the study site and daily home-based tracking.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are 18–25-year-olds who regularly use cannabis and are willing to abstain for a four-week study period and attend sleep testing visits.
Not a fit: People who do not use cannabis, are outside the 18–25 age range, or cannot stop using cannabis for the required time are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help people and clinicians understand whether cannabis helps or harms sleep and whether quitting changes sleep or light sensitivity, guiding safer use and treatment choices.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies suggest cannabis can change sleep drive and light sensitivity, but human research using sleep EEG is scarce and no published studies have tested cannabis effects on circadian photosensitivity, so this work is fairly novel.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hasler, Brant P. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Hasler, Brant P.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.