The positive therapeutic effect of using cannabinoids for improving sleep and pain has been deduced from a recent study published in the December issue of ‘Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine’. Given the lack of information regarding the use of cannabinoids for neuropathic pain treatment, this systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to study the effect of cannabinoids on the quality of sleep, pain, and patient global impression of change (PGIC) in neuropathic pain patients.

The relevant randomized controlled trials comparing the synthetic and natural cannabinoids to placebo in patients with neuropathic pain were explored from 9 medical literature portals. Evidence on authenticated tools for sleep quality, pain intensity, PGIC and related adverse effects of cannabinoids were included.

Eight randomized controlled trials met the study's inclusion criteria out of the screened 3491 studies. The examinations were accomplished using R -4.1.2. utilizing the Metafor package and determined using alpha=0.05 as the threshold for statistical significance. The majority of studies did not use authenticated measures for sleep health.

The use of cannabinoids was found to be linked with a significant improvement in sleep quality (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.40; 95% prediction interval: −0.12 to 0.88, I2=55.26, τ2=0.05, Q-statistic=16.72 and quality of evidence using the GRADE: moderate certainty) as per the meta-analysis of data from 6 studies.

According to the meta-analysis of data from 8 studies, noteworthy reductions were noted in routine pain counts in the cannabinoid group (SMD: −0.55, 95% prediction interval: −1.51 to 0.39, I2=82.49, τ2=0.20, Q-statistic=47.69, GRADE: moderate certainty). Sleep health and analgesic benefits were linked with a higher probability of undergoing daytime somnolence, nausea and dizziness.

Even though the pieces of evidence point towards improving sleep quality and pain, further research is required to widely assess the influence of cannabinoids for the same, as concluded.