How cannabis and menstrual hormones affect sleep in women of childbearing age
The role of stress physiology and reproductive hormones in the relationship between cannabis use and sleep in women of childbearing age
This project looks at how recreational cannabis use changes sleep and nighttime stress signals in naturally cycling women across different phases of the menstrual cycle.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Piscataway, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11166460 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of a 60-day within-subject study of 100 naturally cycling women who use recreational cannabis, with nights compared when cannabis was recently used versus not. The team will record brain activity during sleep (EEG) and measure body stress signals like heart rate variability and hormonal markers linked to the HPA axis, while tracking menstrual cycle phase. Researchers will combine these data to see whether stress-reactivity explains how cannabis affects sleep and whether those effects change with reproductive hormone fluctuations. The work is led by an interdisciplinary sleep and addiction group at Rutgers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are naturally cycling women of childbearing age who use recreational cannabis and are willing to complete 60 days of monitoring, sleep recordings, and hormone/stress sample collection.
Not a fit: People who are pregnant, using hormonal contraception, do not use cannabis, or have certain major medical or sleep conditions may not be eligible or likely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could give women clearer, science-based information about when cannabis may help or harm sleep and help guide safer choices around use and timing.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work on cannabis and sleep is limited and mixed, and combining nocturnal brain and peripheral stress measures across menstrual phases is a relatively novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Piscataway, United States
- Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j. — Piscataway, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spaeth, Andrea Marie — Rutgers, the State Univ of N.j.
- Study coordinator: Spaeth, Andrea Marie
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.