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How can I keep from falling asleep right after ingesting cannabis?

N

Natural

Active member
Hello all, I wasn't sure what sub-forum to post this in, but if possible I'd appreciate any advice on how to not just fall asleep after ingesting cannabis. I am a medicinal cannabis patient using it for anxiety and insomnia related issues mostly, but my problem is that no matter what time of day, what kind of strain, or method of consumption I use, I always end up falling asleep/feeling extremely tired.
While this is great for when I can't sleep, it isn't so great for when I'm trying to get anything done during the day. I even start to get a headache and become irritable after smoking if I don't take a nap within 2 hours or so after ingestion (smoking, vaping, eating, it all makes me sleepy).

I've tried drinking coffee and other sources of caffeine, but that generally will end up heightening and/or inducing anxiety. Other supplements such as ginko biloba, gotu kola, ginseng, etc. don't seem to be able to keep me awake either. If I keep busy to try to stay awake, I end up with a headache and become grumpy that I can't take a nap. I'm at a loss for what to do about this... it didn't happen as much when I was dabbing multiple times a day and had a very high tolerance, but I simply cannot go back to being that medicated all the time (I don't have the money or desire to consume that much anymore). My tolerance is fairly low now and I have taken to almost always only smoking at night before bed. I use a CBD isolate tincture also to try to combat anxiety which seems to be somewhat effective, but not nearly as much as something with THC and other cannabinoids. I'm trying my damndest to ween myself off of benzodiazepines for anxiety by substituting with cannabis which works fine at night or when I can sleep soon after consumption, but I need to find a way to make this work during the day.

Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated; thank you very much for taking time to read this! I hope all of you are doing well. :thank you:
 
BombBudPuffa

BombBudPuffa

Member
Veteran
Look for uppy sativas and stay away from indicas and indica doms. Honestly, you probably just have a low tolerance for weed. Sativa thing might work but if you're not a heavy smoker the munchies and laziness is to be expected.
 
N

Natural

Active member
BombBudPuffa said:
Look for uppy sativas and stay away from indicas and indica doms. Honestly, you probably just have a low tolerance for weed. Sativa thing might work but if you're not a heavy smoker the munchies and laziness is to be expected.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I have tried sativa dominate strains, but they seem to give me the anxious/paranoid feeling more often than not which I'm trying to avoid. The only thing I've found to counteract that is to add in some CBD whether that be from dabbing an isolate or using a tincture.
What's strange is I never had this problem staying awake after smoking during the past decade+ that I have been using cannabis until I took a 3-4 month break last year after my dabbing binge which shot my tolerance through the roof. Now I'm back down to a very low tolerance (just a small bowl before bed) which is when this whole sleepiness issue surfaced.

Hell, maybe it has something to do with age? I definitely don't feel like the young guy that could smoke all day and still function fine anymore.

I'm definitely going to be growing some more sativa dominate strains from now on; all these heavy indica's seem to be very popular now though which makes finding a good sativa cutting somewhat hard. Back to seeds it is!

Thank you very much for your input, have a wonderful night!
 
A

acridlab

get married and have 2 kids and a get a dog too.
that will solve your problems..

seriously though. same thing happens to me.. that's why I had to go back to shatter or rosin . and tea..
I agree with above.. seek out some sativa and that will help
 
herbgreen

herbgreen

Active member
Veteran
Go Ahead and take the nap!

When you wake up you may feel much better......

Resisting sleep is a good way to make yourself extra tired

Have a really good nap and then wake up and smoke again the more you smoke the less tired effect you will eventually just get used to the medicine

CBD isolate may be interacting with your high Im sure its helping you nod out

But whatever it is just do more regular and tolerance will go up
 
Gypsy Nirvana

Gypsy Nirvana

Recalcitrant Reprobate -
Administrator
Veteran
Do like the S.American Indians do and chew coca leaves all day - I am told that helps keep you awake and alert - or even Khat.

Mind you - us Brits make do with a strong cup of tea - or two.
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Or three! lol :)

You may be having difficulties with CBN. I avoid harvesting past the point of about 15% amber trichomes, specifically to reduce CBN content. That narcotic-like, sleepy, can't stay awake feeling. Ugh.

Have you tried vaping the more upbeat sativas? I've read many, many reports of people who can vape the same strains they're unable to smoke. Vaping removes the paranoia for them. Vaping gives me the 'there's something missing feeling' and I think they're related. lol :)

At any rate, you're looking for RIPE cannabis. Somewhere between 5% and 15% amber. Less, and the cannabis gets even speedier, more and you're into the sleepies. :)

If using CBD isolate every day, along with upbeat sativas is what works for you, I say go for it. :)
 
GoatCheese

GoatCheese

Active member
Veteran
herbgreen said:
CBD isolate may be interacting with your high Im sure its helping you nod out
Click to expand...
I doubt it, thou i have never experimented with CBD isolate. I have smoked around ten different CBD-rich plants and from my experience CBD does not make me sleepy at all.
Douglas.Curtis said:
Have you tried vaping the more upbeat sativas?
Click to expand...
This is a good tip. Vaping weed might not make you as sleepy as smoking does. Some people claim "there's no difference between vape vs smoking" but to me there is quite a big difference. Bong/joint/pipe will hit me alot harder than my Volcano does with the same bud.
So vaping might give you a lighter effect. Sleep meds you want to smoke or eat, vaping to me is too light for sleep aid.



Also try CBD-rich sativa leaning hybrids for daytime "smokes". These types don't hit nearly as hard as potent THC-only smokes. The effect is more calm and "centered" than with THC-only weed. Imo, the effect is closer to traditional hash (Leb, Moroc...) than to THC-rich indoor weed.

CBD-will moderate the effect of THC but won't change how the other compounds will affect you, as you know from your experiments with CBD isolate. = Indicas will still feel somewhat stoney and sativas still feel "high", but if some types of sativas will give you paranoia, it could be that CBD-rich version of the same strain would still feel somewhat "edgy".

There are also "easy going sativas" out there you just have to find them. I don't like many sativas either, so i can't give you much advice on those.
:)
 
L

low_and_slow

Member
1) Don't resist, give in to sleep and use it as an opportunity to gain more efficiency/effectiveness after a quick recharge. I set a timer for 25 minutes when I get the sleepies and it seems to be enough for a short reset before I need REM sleep
2) Strain selection; avoid strains high in CBG or CBN if they have an analysis available at point of sale
3) Route of Administration; I can personally support the claim that vaping versus combustion yields less drowsiness. I also find that edibles rarely give me drowsiness, unless taken in too high a dose
4) Harvest earlier, if growing your own. Look for less than 20% Amber trichomes or learn the signs of plant senescence that yield the least drowsy efffects.
5) Abstain from cannabis use within 6 hours of bed time. It can interfere with REM sleep and you might be actually carrying a sleep deficit that becomes more apparent when you dose. I found this to be my problem recently and a 2 week tolerance break has been a big help for me to once again enjoy my relationship with cannabis.
 
I

izzypog

That is easy, COFFEE! Nothing in the world is better than blazing one and drinking a couple of cups of coffee.
 
armedoldhippy

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
light ANOTHER joint. the fear of dying in the fire if you drift off ought to keep you awake. if not, maybe you should find a new hobby, lol. mushrooms, maybe? i sure as hell can't go to sleep on them.:)
 
Putembk

Putembk

One Toke Over The Line
Premium user
Love this thread. I have smoked almost every day with only few exceptions since I first started smoking in 1969. Having the flu would be one of those exceptions.

I guess you could say I have a high tolerance. Out of all, indica , sativa only one strain makes me doze and that is after dinner sitting on the couch watching something boring. White Fire #3. I never take a nap or get the munchies from smoking marijuana.

I don't dare drink coffee, tea pop or anything with caffeine after 12 noon.

Oh by the way, I never sleep through the night. I am awake usually between 2 and 4 am. I don't know why I am so hyper....I just am. I can't sit still for 5 minutes without getting bored and have to find something to do.
 
Douglas.Curtis

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
I agree, there is zero sleepiness in my 20% CBD, 8% THC plant. CBD does not contribute to sleepiness at all. Well, if I let it get past 15% amber it's sleepy, but this is entirely due to the THC breaking down into CBN.

As far as I'm aware, there ARE CBN rich strains, but CBN is much easier to find by simply letting the plant go past ripe.
 
I

izzypog

I grow mostly sativas, most have a little indica in them, I never had amber trichs.
 
G

grayeyes

Active member
I have a suggestion. Instead of medicating using indicas (which make me couch-locked) or sativas that wind me up, how about a hybrid?

Recently I was talking with a friend and did some research as we were discussing THC-V. It turns out from reviewing some research into different strains that Bubblegum has been found to be very high in THC-V.

I recently grew some and after harvest, while deep in research, couldn't understand why I wasn't struck by the munchies and at the same time after about 3 hours I was always sleepy.

Try it out OP and let us know if that works for you.
 
I

izzypog

@grayeyes, I thought THC-V was found in mostly Sativas and provided the psychedelic properties in cannabis?<<<<<this is a question I promise.
 
N

Natural

Active member
Thanks for all the responses! Sorry for the delayed response... I took tried some of these suggestions, but after this initial post doing some more experimentation, I really think this is pretty much a tolerance issue. I went a while without using any cannabis and since have been using minuscule amounts (eg: packing a rather small bowl before bed and only smoking half of it or so), but what's strange is that the few times I have consumed a bit more than normal, the sleepy/drowsy feeling wasn't as much of a problem.

To those that suggested vaping instead, I really wish I could, but I'm just not a big fan of the effect it gives me. I'm already prone to anxiety and for some reason when I vaporize cannabis, my mind races 80-90% of the time. I used to love my vaporizer years ago when my tolerance was through the roof, so I guess I just need to consume more cannabis for the negative side effects to go away. Who would'a thought? :)

Anyways, I've been doing better with not falling asleep right after consumption since I have been using more and increasing my tolerance.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice. Have a wonderful evening!
 
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