There's a Scientific Reason Regular Cannabis Users Wake Up More Stressed
NEWS | 28 July 2026
Cannabis is widely considered to be a stress reliever – at least for some – but there's new evidence that it might actually have the opposite effect when used regularly. Researchers from Oregon State University wanted to take a closer look at the relationship between cannabis and stress after earlier studies had hinted that the drug may raise stress levels rather than lower them. The team looked specifically at the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the body's main stress responder. Made up of connections between the brain and kidneys, it controls the release of the stress-related hormone cortisol. We all have a cortisol awakening response of some kind when we wake up. (Westend61/Getty Images) As shown by results now published in Cannabis by the researchers, those who use cannabis regularly tend to have higher levels of cortisol when waking up in the morning. "Our research suggests cortisol levels upon awakening may serve as a neurobiological marker of problematic cannabis use, and that connection needs to be investigated further," says behavioral neuroscientist Anita Cservenka. The study involved 39 frequent cannabis users and 43 controls who indulged in cannabis use rarely or not at all. Over two weekdays, the participants were asked to collect saliva swabs right after waking up, 30 minutes later, and at 9pm that evening. These saliva samples were then scanned for cortisol, and the volunteers also filled out questionnaires about their perceived stress levels, sleep quality, and mental health symptoms. In particular, the researchers wanted to look at the cortisol awakening response (CAR), which is the jump in cortisol levels in the body in the morning. It's thought to be a natural response used to prep the body for the day ahead. "CAR is the cortisol rise that all people experience in the morning, peaking around 30 minutes after they wake up," says Cservenka. frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> The key findings were that CAR generally matched across cannabis users and non-users – their cortisol levels rose by similar amounts in that 30-minute period. However, the regular users had higher levels of cortisol to begin with. These results are only a snapshot in time, and don't show the relationship between cannabis and stress over the longer term, so they can't prove cause and effect. There's also the bi-directional relationship between cannabis and stress to consider – people who are more stressed may end up smoking more cannabis, as well as the other way around. Even with those caveats though, the findings outlined here are notable enough to raise more questions about what the drug does to our bodies when it becomes a habit. Too much cortisol can lead to problems with anxiety and heart disease. "We would need to study the same groups of people over a longer period of time to understand any cause and effect relationship, but we think this provides an important starting point," says Cservenka. The backdrop to this study is that cannabis use is on the rise, alongside the drug becoming legalized in more countries, and being more widely available. The researchers cite figures stating that in the US, 29 percent of 19- to 30-year-olds say they've used cannabis in the last 30 days – a percentage that's almost doubled in 20 years. What's more, over 10 percent of the same age group say they've used cannabis 20 or more times over that 30-day period. For this metric, the percentage has more than doubled across the last 15 years. Related: Cannabis Linked to Lower Weight And Reduced Diabetes Risk in Mouse Study The new study adds valuable insight to what is already a complex picture. A similar study published earlier this year showed chronic cannabis use was linked with a lower CAR, so further research will be required to get a fuller picture of what's happening. "Earlier studies by other researchers found CAR to be blunted in frequent cannabis users, but we didn't replicate that finding, which suggests there is a lot of nuance that could be related to analytic strategies and sample characteristics," says Cservenka. The research has been published in Cannabis.
Author: David Nield.
Source