Your Cannabis Habit May Be Quietly Raising Your Stress Levels Every Morning - ScienceAlert

What the report says

ScienceAlert reported that a new Oregon State University study suggests frequent cannabis users may start the day with higher levels of cortisol, a hormone tied to the body’s stress response. The research, published in the journal Cannabis, examined activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which helps regulate cortisol release. The article said the findings complicate the common view of cannabis as a stress reducer, at least for people who use it regularly.

The study compared 39 frequent cannabis users with 43 people who rarely or never used cannabis. Participants collected saliva samples over two weekdays immediately after waking, 30 minutes later and at 9 p.m. Researchers also gathered questionnaire responses on perceived stress, sleep and mental health symptoms. According to ScienceAlert, the main difference was not in the size of the normal morning cortisol rise, known as the cortisol awakening response, but in baseline waking levels: frequent users had higher cortisol when they first woke up.

The researchers cautioned that the study offers only a short-term snapshot and cannot show whether cannabis use raises stress biology or whether people with higher stress are more likely to use cannabis. Behavioral neuroscientist Anita Cservenka said longer-term research would be needed to understand cause and effect, while noting that awakening cortisol may warrant further study as a possible marker of problematic cannabis use.

ScienceAlert placed the study in the context of rising cannabis use and expanding legalization. The article also noted that previous research has not been fully consistent, including a recent study that linked chronic cannabis use with a lower cortisol awakening response, underscoring the need for more detailed research into frequency of use, participant differences and health effects.