COVIDsomnia: Why The Pandemic is Messing With People's Sleep

“COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy, public health systems and upended industries from tourism to summer camps. Now, doctors from around the world say they’re seeing an influx in patients with disrupted sleep patterns linked to financial anxiety, fears of the virus or a lack of daily routine.” -- CTV News

While it may come as a surprise to some that despite many of the COVID-related restrictions loosening, many people are still suffering from anxiety and insomnia, I can say first-hand that I continue to see these symptoms amongst my own patients. Financial insecurity related to job-loss or a downturn in self-owned business is particularly prevalent.

We talked about these issues & provided some practical coping strategies from other experts in webisodes two and three of our Lockdown Learning Series earlier this summer. These are available for free on-demand viewing at www.drblakepearson.org/events. I invite you to have a watch and please let us know if we can offer any additional support.

Read the full CTV article here.

Cannabis Proven to Help Insomniacs Sleep

Australia has always been a special place for me and as those who follow my page know, I spent several weeks there last year providing cannabinoid medicine education to Australian physicians. There are many parallels between the Australian medical system and our own, so I aim to keep up with the research coming forward, which led me to this new study.

Completed by the University of Western Australia, this world-first study has “ shown that medicinal cannabis can be used as a treatment for adults suffering from chronic insomnia.”

The researchers found statistically significant improvements in a range of objective and subjective sleep measures, including total sleep time, wake time during the night, time to sleep, quality of sleep and feeling rested after sleep. Participants also reported a significant improvement in subjective measures of stress, fatigue and social functioning.

Lead researcher, Professor Peter Eastwood said: “Positive patient experiences with minimal side-effects are critical to the success of any insomnia drug and highlights the potential for this treatment to address a key area of unmet need.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Full article available here.

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia - Paul's Story: Part 2

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia

Paul’s Story: Part 2

Living with long-term anxiety can have significant effects on your quality of life, impacting your ability to maintain relationships, perform in your work and it can even impact your physical health.

In part two of Paul’s story, he tells us how cannabinoid therapy improved his overall cognitive function and physical health: “Out of everything I’ve taken, it is the only thing that has worked for me in 30 years.”

Like any therapy, results vary from person to person. However, given the low side-effect profile of cannabinoid medicines and positive clinical outcomes I see regularly, it’s important for patients and physicians to know that this is a valid treatment option in the right circumstances.

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia - Paul's Story: Part 1

Paul’s Story: Part 1

Although we’re into another week of isolation, I think it’s important to break up the COVID-19 news and bring some positivity to your feed. Let me share Paul’s story:

Paul developed PTSD, anxiety and insomnia, following his time as a police officer in Belfast, Ireland and a corrections officer in Canada. He was referred to my clinic to try to help with his anxiety and insomnia after trying many other therapies without any benefit.

After coaching Paul on the benefits of non-medical therapies including mindfulness, exercise, sleep hygiene and healthy eating, we introduced cannabinoid therapy. Paul’s anxiety has lessened and he is now sleeping 7-9 hours a night. Seeing this kind of quality life improvement in my patients is the reason I began practicing medicine and why I’ll continually love what I do. Thank you for sharing your story, Paul!