13 Cannabis and Sleep Statistics: How Many Adults Use It and What They Report

Sleep is one of the most common reasons adults give for using cannabis, and national surveys now measure how often that happens. The CDC found that 3.7% of U.S. adults used marijuana or another cannabis product most days or every day in the past month to help them fall or stay asleep. Survey responses on whether it helps are mixed, and sleep specialists caution that self-reported benefits do not always match objective measures. The statistics below summarize what people report, not what cannabis does for any individual. For background, see our guide to cannabis and sleep.

1. 3.7% of U.S. adults regularly use cannabis to help them sleep

Using the 2024 National Health Interview Survey of 31,509 adults, the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics found that 3.7% of adults used marijuana or another cannabis product, including CBD, most days or every day in the past 30 days to help them fall asleep or stay asleep.

2. 12.9% of adults regularly use some kind of sleep aid

In total, 12.9% of adults regularly used a sleep aid. Over-the-counter medications or supplements (5.7%) and prescription medication (5.2%) were slightly more common than cannabis (3.7%).

3. 15.4% of adults had trouble falling asleep

For context, 15.4% of adults reported trouble falling asleep most days or every day in the past 30 days in the same survey.

4. Regular cannabis sleep-aid use falls with age

Regular use of cannabis for sleep was 5.5% among adults aged 18 to 34, 4.4% at ages 35 to 49, 2.9% at ages 50 to 64, and 1.7% at 65 and older.

5. Men and women use cannabis for sleep at similar rates

4.0% of men and 3.5% of women regularly used cannabis as a sleep aid, a difference the CDC did not find statistically significant.

6. Parents are more likely to reach for cannabis at bedtime

In a 2023 American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey, 30% of parents with children under 18 at home occasionally or regularly used marijuana to help them sleep, compared with 19% of non-parents. Overall, 25% of adults did.

7. 33% of adults say marijuana makes their sleep better

In a 2025 AASM survey of 2,007 adults, 33% said their sleep is slightly or significantly better when they use marijuana. 11% reported no impact, 8% said their sleep is worse, and 47% said they do not use marijuana.

8. Men are more likely than women to report a sleep benefit

39% of men reported sleeping better with marijuana, compared with 28% of women. Over half of women (55%) reported no marijuana use, versus 39% of men.

9. Adults 25 to 44 are most likely to report a benefit

Respondents aged 25 to 44 were the most likely age group to report that marijuana improved their sleep, at 45%. Older adults were less likely to use marijuana at all.

10. Self-reports and objective sleep measures do not always agree

The AASM notes that studies have produced conflicting results: one systematic review found cannabinoids improved self-reported sleep quality, while another study linked long-term daily use with more nighttime wakefulness, and a pilot study found people who expected better sleep overestimated how long they slept.

11. 49% of Americans have lost sleep staying up to use marijuana

About half of respondents in the 2023 AASM survey said they had lost sleep by staying up past their bedtime to use marijuana.

12. Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to lose sleep to marijuana

58% of millennials and 56% of Gen Z respondents said they had lost sleep to marijuana use, compared with 44% of Gen X, 19% of the Silent Generation, and 16% of baby boomers.

13. 42% of CBD users cite insomnia as a reason

Among CBD users, 42% say they take it for insomnia, the third most common reason after pain and anxiety. See our CBD statistics for more.

These numbers describe what people report, not what cannabis will do for you, and sleep specialists recommend talking with a healthcare professional about ongoing sleep problems. If you are an adult in a legal state and curious, a few points from the data:

• Experiences vary. About a third of adults report better sleep, but some report worse sleep or no change.
• Watch the timing. Half of respondents in one survey lost sleep staying up to use marijuana.
• Tolerance matters. Regular nightly use can change how you respond; our guide to tolerance breaks explains why some people pause.
• Compare products carefully. Our sleep effects page and tinctures rankings show how products are labeled, and a certificate of analysis shows what is actually inside.

How many people use cannabis for sleep?

In 2024, 3.7% of U.S. adults used marijuana or another cannabis product, including CBD, most days or every day in the past 30 days to help them sleep. In a 2023 survey, 25% of Americans said they occasionally or regularly used marijuana to help them fall or stay asleep.

Do people say cannabis helps them sleep?

Some do. In a 2025 survey, 33% of adults said their sleep is slightly or significantly better when they use marijuana, 11% said it has no impact, and 8% said it is worse. Research results are mixed, and self-reported benefits do not always match objective sleep measures.

Who is most likely to use cannabis for sleep?

Younger adults. Regular use as a sleep aid was 5.5% among adults 18 to 34 versus 1.7% among adults 65 and older. Parents with children at home were also more likely than non-parents to use marijuana for sleep, 30% vs. 19%.

Is cannabis more common than sleeping pills?

Not quite. Among U.S. adults in 2024, 5.2% regularly used prescription sleep medication and 5.7% used over-the-counter medications or supplements, compared with 3.7% who used cannabis.