Cannabis use and associated sleep-disordered breathing among US adults

As sleep-disordered breathing has become more prevalent, so has cannabis use due to legalization across many regions of the United States of America (USA). This study sought to determine if there is an association between cannabis use and signs of sleep-disordered breathing.

This was a cross-sectional study of a sample of 14,485 US adults from the 2017 to 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Data from state-administered telephone surveys were used. We utilized survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between self-reported frequency of cannabis use with witnessed apnea during sleep and reported loud snoring.

Cannabis use and signs of sleep-disordered breathing were present in 5.5% and 44.7%, respectively, of the cohort. Compared to no cannabis use, non-regular use (1-15 days of use in last 30) was associated with witnessed apnea during sleep (OR 1.41; 95%CI 1.05, 1.86), loud snoring (1.26; 1.01, 1.57), and either sign (1.33; 1.07, 1.65). Regular use of cannabis (16-30 days of use) was associated with witnessed apnea during sleep (1.73; 1.27, 2.33), loud snoring (1.68; 1.32, 2.14), and either sign (1.82; 1.43, 2.33). Additionally, each additional day per month of cannabis use was associated with increased odds of reported witnessed apnea during sleep, reported loud snoring, and either sleep-disordered breathing sign.

Cannabis use was associated with a greater odds of signs of sleep-disordered breathing. More research is required to examine the causality of this relationship and to determine if the potential effect is mediated by the method of cannabis use.