Pubdate: Mon, 13 Nov 2006
Source: Salon (US Web)
Copyright: 2006 Salon
Contact: http://www.salon.com/about/letters/index.html
Website: http://www.salon.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/381
Author: Patricia Schwarz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

BY THE WAY ABOUT SLEEP AND AGING

Speaking medically, the one side effect of marijuana that is 
universally reported by everyone who uses it medicinally for whatever 
reason is -- VASTLY IMPROVED QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF SLEEP.

Scientists now believe this happens because anandamide, the natural 
anti-inflammatory eicosanoid whose chemical structure closely matches 
that of the active ingredients in marijuana, plays a regulatory role 
in the deep or delta wave phase of sleep. Rodents who are given a 
chemical anandamide-blocker suffer from a vastly reduced quality and 
quantity of the delta phase of sleep.

The delta phase of sleep is believed by scientists to be the phase 
where your body repairs the micro-damage you caused to your muscles 
and joints and ligaments and tendons during your waking hours.

So this phase of sleep is especially crucial for women as we get older.

Exercise will also help you sleep. By the way, this fact is probably 
related to the role played by anandamide in sleep. Scientists at 
Geogia Tech showed that 45 minutes of running vastly increases the 
brain's natural production of anandamide. That's probably why it 
helps people sleep.

Exercise also seems to play a preventive role in many illnesses such 
as cancer and Alzheimer's. The same list of illnesses, basically, 
that scientists claim might be treatable using the active ingredients 
in marijuana.

I think ten years from now, it will be recognized by scientists 
outside of America that many of the pain and sleep problems that come 
with aging are caused by a decline in the body's natural ability to 
produce anadamide.

This science might NOT be recongized inside America within the next 
ten years, because Americans are too emotionally and politically and 
economically entangled in the Drug War to stop and listen to any 
objective science, even if it could save their lives.

People are probably getting ready to hurl rocks at my head right now 
just for discussing this. Oh well. I suppose that can't be helped.

- -- Patricia Schwarz
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman