Dreams and smoking weed, a question...

[Only Ornamental]

Hi there,

I usually sleep like a stone, an earthquake couldn't wake me up, and I seldom remember dreams.
When I consume cannabis before going to bed, again, I'm like a corps for the next 7-9 hours (except that I may be even a bit more dead-like than usual LoL) and again no memories of dreams.
Now, when I consume for a few days in a row and then quit, I start having a lot of very vivid and really weird dreams, sometimes they even wake me up in the middle of the night (although they aren't nightmares in most cases), and I can remember them till I fall asleep again ot till my first coffee (that means till I wake up).

Do I always have such dreams ?
Why would I have a less deep sleep after a week of good night smokings ?


Anyone experienced the same?
Any idea about the how and why?

 

[roach]

Im the same way lol, total corpse when I sleep and I dont remember any dreams, useualy wake up in the same position as I fell asleep in, but when I stop smoking I have these realy intense and very far out dreams for a couple of days and then its back to no dreams at all again, but I have no idea about the why

 

[MrAwder]

Not sure I can answer your questions scientifically but I have experienced the same as well as have friends of mine. I believe you always dream whether you remember it or not. I have experienced more vivid dreams and retain better memory of them when I am taking breaks from smoking. While smoking regularly (pretty heavy use) I remember maybe 5% of my dreams if that.

At least one of my friends has experienced the EXACT same, a few others have mentioned "not dreaming" during periods of heavy use.

 

[lunatick]

hi there,forgive me for bad english - cannabis is increasing melatonin levels in the brain and that will cause you to sleep mostly deep sleep with little to no dreams and usually you will have a rebound in rem sleep after 6-7 hours or in the next day.

"really weird dreams" - dream content is dictated by your waking state of mind\mindset\thought process.

as an expert in lucid dreaming\astral projection\o.b.e(all the same) - cannabis is a real "dream killer",however u can smoke a few hours before bed time and u will have more or less "normal" sleep cycles.

 

[Adze]

Like you, every time I have stopped smoking I have the most vivid dreams. Just as you said, not nightmares but so vivid that they are startling. In contrast when I’ve been smoking I don’t have or don’t remember dreaming at all. Interestingly, consuming salmon or ginkgo biloba can cause similarly intense dreams. This had me thinking it has something to do with omega fatty acids.

 

[Baked Alaskan]

Only remember my dreams when I dont smoke, usually takes a day not smoking to begin remembering. No scientific evidence just my 2 cents

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

I do the same thing. When I smoke I sleep well. Every few weeks I don't smoke for several days when I test my bad leg out. When I don't smoke I have the most vivid dreams and usually don't sleep that well. I am no doctor but I suspect those dreams come with the territory.

 

[yesum]

Cannabis is supposed to limit REM sleep patterns.

I do not notice any difference for myself. Then again I only have a few tokes per day and do not smoke every day, though I may go for a week and smoke every day.

Personally I would not smoke right before bed but a couple hours before or earlier.

 

[entheogen]

Am currently on day 11 of a yet to be determined week/month break after, quiet literally, and now that I write it down, perhaps somewhat unhealthy daily use for many years. The break started out for employment reasons, but as the days go by now I've really started to question how heavily i have been smoking lately.

Am abso-freakin-lutely experiencing the same thing. Extremely vivid dreams, not necessarily nightmares, but hyper real. Like I can feel wind blowing over my skin, the warmth of sunshine, the coolness of a drink of water. And I can remember them for days.

I also can/do realize that I am dreaming. It seems to happen as an epiphany type feeling where all of a sudden I just realize that I am dreaming. It's like a fog just instantaneously disappears and there I am in this very surreal situation.

Also feel like I can control them more; both the situation and my reactions to it. This seem to just add even more richness and feeling of hyper reality.

 

[StayHigh149]

Usually for the 1st few days after stopping, I have very vivid dreams. They're very realistic.
I always thought I didn;t dream like that while smoking cuz weed keeps the creative & imaginative part of the brain woking more than normal....so I just figured it was resting at nite instead of dreaming.

 

[m314]

I've always had vivid dreams when I'm high. I take supplimental melatonin which might explain it. Weed is the only thing I've found that reliably helps me sleep through the night. I sleep best when I have a weed capsule or some other kind of edible before bed. Melatonin helps too, just to a lesser degree if I take it on its own.

Dreams do seem more vivid when I take breaks from getting high. They're more vivid, but much shorter since I don't sleep as much.

 

[Lung.Butter]

I believe its called rem rebound, its basically catching up on missed sleep, well proper sleep anyway.

If your like me and smoke all day it will go on for a month or 2 when your on a break. At first you will wake several times a night then it will slowly taper down as the days go by.

 

[judas cohen]

Same thing here. Rarely remember dreams when I've been smoking daily. Wen I don't smoke for 1-2 days, I experience really vivid dreams in color and remember them. Very pleasant experience!!

 

[oldchuck]

Everybody dreams. It's required. The trick is remembering them. It is a well known fact that THC plays little tricks with short term memory. It is one small downside to weed. Not a big deal. You are still having dreams if you wake up well rested. You just don't remember them.

 

[Only Ornamental]

So basically, everyone experiences about the same thing. Funny!
Maybe it is also some sort of backlog demand. I know that several sleeping pills hamper REM sleep but never heard of 'heavier' dreams after quitting, just about other rebound effects.

Very pleasant experience!!

Too weird if you think about it: Having a trip-like experience when NOT consuming drugs .

 

[Gucci]

Everybody dreams. It's required. The trick is remembering them. It is a well known fact that THC plays little tricks with short term memory. It is one small downside to weed. Not a big deal. You are still having dreams if you wake up well rested. You just don't remember them.

Nothing to do with short term memory.

I've experienced no dreams and then very vivid and emotionally strong dreams after stopping smoking just like everyone else described. I've always wondered why. When I asked people everyone mentioned the research done in 1975 by Feinberg:

Abstract
Electroencephalographic readings and eye movement were recorded in experienced marijuana users under placebo and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Four subjects were studied for 3 baseline nights, 3 nights under initial dosage of 70 mg/day, the last 3 nights of a 2-wk period of 210 mg/day, and the first 3 nights of withdrawal. Three other subjects were studied only during the latter 2 conditions. Administration of THC significantly reduced eye movement activity during sleep with rapid eye movements (REM) and, to a lesser extent, the duration of REM itself. Withdrawal led to increases above baseline in both measures but the "rebound" effect was greater for eye movement. Stage 4 sleep tended to increase on drug, but this effect was not statistically significant. On withdrawal, stage 4 sleep decreased significantly; this change was marked only on the first withdrawal night. The functional or biological significance of these changes is unclear. Nevertheless, these are the most marked effects of THC on brain electrical activity demonstrated thus far. Since its pattern of effects on sleep appears unique to THC, this drug may prove to be a valuable tool in the elucidation of the pharmacology of sleep. Possible relations between effects on sleep pattern and on behavior are discussed.

This doesn't explain why this is though. Hard to believe nobody has done any research on the subject for over 35 years.

 

[Human GuineaPig]

Its explained in this video at 9:40. For those of you that don't speak Spanish, turn on the subtitles.

[YOUTUBEIF]http://youtu.be/N8tPrW9E9e4[/YOUTUBEIF]

 

[Human GuineaPig]

http://youtu.be/N8tPrW9E9e4

 

[Gry]

Nice link.

 

[theJointedOne]

smoke everyday all day for a few years, then stop smoking...talk about some dreams!!!! whoaaaaaa