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Cannabis/Marijuana and how it effects our sleep.

Gypsy Nirvana

Recalcitrant Reprobate -
Administrator
Veteran
Yes,...It can be very painstaking to try and quantify what variety of cannabis and what dosage to whose individual metabolism might work where sleep is concerned.

We are all individuals and respond sometimes in a vastly different way to the same medicine. 'What's good for the Goose....is not good for the Gander' etc.

So I guess that its down to experimenting for yourself, and finding out what works best for you.
 

Max Headroom

Well-known member
Veteran
i definitely dream less (or remember less) which is a plus in my book. dreaming can be exhausting.
in my estimation i need about 1 hour more sleep to feel as rested as without weed. (although i can't even remember the last time i didn't go to bed stoned)

otherwise it's sativas during the day and a spliff of hybrid stuff before bed.
 
M

moose eater

There's sleep, and there's deep REM sleep.

I may sleep for a total of 4-6 hours at night, (rarely more.. tho' sometimes more, and sometimes even less), but much of that sleep time is spent tossing from discomfort/pain or inability to get relaxed, and when I toss, my spine, hips, and sometimes knees wreak havoc.

Add to that the fact that when the pre-sleep cannabis high wears off (different periods of time for different strains), my body comes out of that, and I'm awake, often with munchies. (Dried natural Turkish apricots and walnut halves are good ;^>) ).

I'm not what I would call a 'heavy smoker,' but rather a paced smoker of potent strains.

I remember some of my dreams, but if I don't relate them to someone else as soon as I wake up, then I'm more apt to forget them... which can be frustrating too. Especially when they were intense, disorienting, unnerving, etc. And some certainly have been.

As written earlier, typical bed-time, or back-to-bed formula is a few sizable potent tokes, and a potent single beverage. 8%+ beer, or tequila and juice, tequila with limne, or the whisky, maple syrup and low-fat milk concoction I wrote about earlier

What's more frustrating, however, is knowing I was 'asleep' sufficient hours that I -should- feel rested, but waking up fairly well exhausted none the less.

The penance we pay for having abused our bodies, souls, and the world around us, I guess.
 

aquavitae

Active member
smoking almost daily, still can remember most of my dreams. i feel its really important to dream but also wouldnt wish endless streaks of nightmares to anyone.

and to what sam said, i feel there is also a difference to when I dream after actually falling asleep, or "passing out" on the couch (what happens when you start smoking early in the day :p)

strongly advise against drinking to fall asleep.. if you re not tired then try to do something productive or work out / stretch.
 
G

Gr33nSanta

If you want similar effects on your dreams as a tolerance break would, try smoking CBD before bed time.

Even if I smoke my regular day full of THC in my blood, if I smoke the last spliff of the day with high CBD in the mix or dab high CBD concentrates, I often have vivid dreams just as if I had taken a break from smoking weed. I am not sure whether I like dreaming or not haha.

As long as I have tolerance, cannabis makes me sleep like a baby, if I don't have the tolerance, makes my mind race like coffee times 10, really hard to sleep!
 
"However, once nightly cannabis use stops, sleep clearly worsens across the withdrawal period."
no sleep goes back to normal, aka no sleep.

i tend to have less sleepless nights if i smoke during the day and night (not always possible), if i start smoking at night i dont always get the best sleeping effects

didnt research say cbd keeps us active and awake??

I find that exercise (and ganja) really helps with sleep. If you have trouble sleeping at night, then a good work out in the afternoon or evening each day and you will sleep way better. A tired, relaxed body will drop off to sleep easier than one that's been just sitting there inactive watching a screen all day and night.
the days i work out, every other day 2-3h a day, im just to pumped up to even sit down for 5min, so i keep that at least 4-5hour before 'bedtime'
on 'hangover days' (i dont drink anymore but the days stay the same, getting older eh) when you dont feel like doing anything i tend to feel sleepy all day
 
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skidboy

New member
I have noticed cannabis affecting my own sleep, and have remarked over the years that when not using, my dreams are far more vivid and I'm more likely to remember them.

^^^^This 1000x's over. I recently quit blasting before bed and now I can remember my dreams perfectly again. They are very vivid and wacky as well. Personally I love crazy ass dreams and I am fascinated by just how crazy they can get.
 
I have had insomnia for years.it affects my mother my son and nephew I find when I smoke if it's the right strain.the quality of sleep and rest I get is amazing.but most times I am still up when smoking but feel great
And although I have been up baked I don't feel so bad next day.so I am looking into finding an insomnia killer strain.but I have to say I don't get much exercise during the day.maybe I need a good saliva for during the day
So I am more active.
 

billy_big_bud!

Proud Cannadian Cannabist
Veteran
everyone seems to be focused on smoking. i can smoke strong indicas until the cows come home and it does nothing to effect my desire to sleep. however my nightly dose of cannabis tea and some mineral supplementations have pretty much eliminated my insomnia all together. i hate to be cliche and call it a miracle drug but as far as i am concerned thats what it is.
 

therevverend

Well-known member
Veteran
I believe I dream when I smoke lots of cannabis. However my consciousness goes to such a deep place I don't remember the dreams when I wake up. When I am dreaming I will witness the events through a 'fog'.
Quitting after months of heavy smoking makes it difficult to sleep deeply. Dreams are quite vivid, to the point that they will wake me up. I can remember them with clarity.
From what I've heard one of the of the worst parts of PTSD is nightmares. Reliving traumatic moments night after night. My theory is that cannabis helps people forget these types of dreams and make them less intense. The foggy deep place in the cannabis sleep lessens the impact of the nightmares. Helping people lose their fear and come to terms with their trauma.
I have a friend who fought in Vietnam. He was given all sorts of psychiatric drugs to control his PTSD. None of them came close to how effectively cannabis has controlled it.
I had a strain, most smokers didn't enjoy it. I had a friend that worked a night shift, he loved it. Because it acted like coffee. Besides the mild stone it made it impossible to sleep and gave him energy to work hard at his job. The other smokers didn't like these effects, wanted to relax after a day of hard work.
I would like to know the place of origin of this strain. My guess is Lebanon considering the plants morphology and maturation. I'd expect it to contain some CBD.
 
M

moose eater

I believe I dream when I smoke lots of cannabis. However my consciousness goes to such a deep place I don't remember the dreams when I wake up. When I am dreaming I will witness the events through a 'fog'.
Quitting after months of heavy smoking makes it difficult to sleep deeply. Dreams are quite vivid, to the point that they will wake me up. I can remember them with clarity.
From what I've heard one of the of the worst parts of PTSD is nightmares. Reliving traumatic moments night after night. My theory is that cannabis helps people forget these types of dreams and make them less intense. The foggy deep place in the cannabis sleep lessens the impact of the nightmares. Helping people lose their fear and come to terms with their trauma.
I have a friend who fought in Vietnam. He was given all sorts of psychiatric drugs to control his PTSD. None of them came close to how effectively cannabis has controlled it.
I had a strain, most smokers didn't enjoy it. I had a friend that worked a night shift, he loved it. Because it acted like coffee. Besides the mild stone it made it impossible to sleep and gave him energy to work hard at his job. The other smokers didn't like these effects, wanted to relax after a day of hard work.
I would like to know the place of origin of this strain. My guess is Lebanon considering the plants morphology and maturation. I'd expect it to contain some CBD.

For me, the more panicked dreams simply tend to re-create the -dynamic- or general nature of the original angst. Not necessarily a repeat of the specific events themselves. But events that re-create abstract situations, that create similar anxiety or conundrum.

I listened to an interview the other day re. dreams, and was surprised by how long they said average dreams last, and how many per night. I had always thought it was a very brief period just before waking, or short period during REM sleep. But that's not what the interviewee said.
 

madalasatori

Well-known member
Veteran
If I quit then the bedsheets are soaked in sweat for a week. This is a sign that cannabis is physically addictive, I think
 

greenfox

Member
I enjoy what cannabis can do to help me fall a sleep while feeling less pain from my body. I have noticed I appear to dream less which has made me wonder whether the falling asleep easier is worth the belief that I'm dreaming less. REM for survival right?
 

Montuno

...como el Son...
You personally may find this to be true.
I have talked to hundreds of smokers about this and can confirm that heavy smokers do not remember their dreams.
Different varieties with different profiles can encourage dreaming, not the terpenes as much as CBD. Varieties that are mostly CBD do not seem to block remembering your dreams like THC varieties do.
Few if any heavy daily smokers do remember their dreams, ask friends and see, they are still dreaming they just do not remember them.
-SamS

Yeah, I am a heavy daily smoker: I dont know If I dont dream, or If I cant remember my dreams... But If sametimes I am a week without smoke any marihuana, then I have the most intenses n vivid dreams: it's fine with the erotics or nices ones, but is a hell with any nightmare...
 
M

moose eater

We'd/I'd traditionally distinguished Insomnia form Dyssomnia, with insomnia being an inability or difficulty getting to sleep, and dyssomnia being a broken sleep schedule, with intermittent waking through the night. Either from dreaming, or from other causes.

Your spell-check will probably indicate that the word dyssomnia doesn't exist. At least not in its programming. However, I'm fairly certain the word existed in the DSMs.
 

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Some health professionals may not feel comfortable due to the fluctuating legal status, a lack of confidence in the state of the science or their personal opinions.[/FONT]
Due to this, I feel it's a good idea to interview any doc that a person is looking at to be their primary care physician.


Closed minded doctors are worthless as tits on a rooster!


In the end...
YOU are responsible for YOUR own health.
 

JustSumTomatoes

Indicas make dreams happen
I've mentioned it on several other threads but I have quite a disruptive sleep disorder. I can often go a few days without sleep but only getting an hour or two, or even going a night without sleep is the norm for me. Most of the time I'm totally exhausted and regardless it's nearly impossible for me to fall asleep and stay out for a full 8 hours as needed. I've been to a sleep clinic, specialist, and have tried several prescription meds with no relief. Chronic insomnia is unbelievably stressful and brings with it a large amount of depression and anxiety.

For me, cannabis has been the most beneficial thing for allowing me to get to sleep and stay asleep for a reasonable amount of time. It doesn't solve the problem 100% but it's the closest I can get to it. For the time that I still can't sleep it takes the edge off all the racing thoughts and worries. It also seems to make physical pain more tolerable and less noticeable.

I've definitely noticed that it has slowed dream activity for me. When I do dream it is harder for me to recollect what exactly it was I dreamed about. I tend to sleep more deeply when I use cannabis and am not as restless. I wish it would be explored more by the scientific community so we are able understand what it does to the brain and how it affects sleep.
 
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