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marijuana and insomnia

burn out

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
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I am disappointed to say that I don't think I can smoke herb anymore and I don't really understand why because I have smoked a lot of grass and never had this problem before. Lately though, whenever I smoke herb I get horrible insomnia from it and end up staying up most of the night, even if I am extremely tired and ready to go to sleep when I smoke it. It's to the point where I don't even want to smoke herb anymore because it's not worth tossing and turning all night. Why did this happen? I mean, ever since I started I always found that I could not sleep right after getting high but usually about an hour or 2 afterwards, it would if anything, make it easier for me to fall asleep. In fact I generally associate marijuana with sleeping more, not less. The insomnia all started a few weeks ago. I sleep alright if I dont smoke.
 
Hey there, I'm an experienced marijuana user, been smoking weed on and off for 5 years now. Had a period of time where I would go all out on the ganja. Been through similar experience such as yours. If you want to keep smoking here's my advice:

Go sober for a month or so, see how long you can go, give your brain sometime to adapt to the lack of THC in the system. Once you are done with your break, proactively change your lifestyle so that you don't smoke weed every day, maybe keep it for the weekends then move on to every other week. That way your brain can keep up with all the THC you're putting it through without affecting your tolerance, this part is important so that the side effects don't return.

The insomnia is probably caused by your tolerance or by the type of weed you're smoking be it indica or sativa. I find that sativa keeps me more active than indica. Going sober for a month or so should be able to curb the insomnia experienced from smoking weed. Also weed increases the amount of blood that goes to your brain, that can also be a factor of your insomnia.

Exercise will work wonders for your body, go out for a run at the park for an hour or so on the daily, that should help sleep better and significantly decrease your tolerance and return the sleepiness of your highs.

Also, take multivitamins on the daily, could be a vitamin issue, also good to take for your own well being.

If the insomnia persists, consider a longer break than one month, try two maybe even 3, longer if it persists.

Also consider alternate forms on getting marijuana into your system, have you ever tried a vape? The smoke could be a factor.

From my experience I find that smoking weed on the daily or close to daily will lead to consequences however those consequences can be easily compromised with significant lifestyle changes. Remember your will power and you should be fine. Good luck.
 
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refreshing this post..

i've suffered from insomnia for years. it's particularly bad currently, in part due to a muscular shoulder and neck injury that gets exacerbated when i sleep poorly.

i am tired of tossing and turning all night. i am working hard to maintain a regular sleep schedule, get enough exercise, and other aspects of sleep hygiene. i also take 'ortho sleep', an herbal supplement containing valerian, 5-HTP, melatonin, and a bunch of other stuff. i sleep very well when i take it, (pretty much the only time i sleep well) but i build up a tolerance fast so it's only effective when taken about once a week.

anyway.. for the past 1-2 months i've been smoking a bowl before bed. it's a nice way to relax before bed and it definitely helps me fall asleep, but it does not help me stay asleep. (i wake up a lot throughout the night.) there's a lot of articles out there about cannabis both helping and hurting insomniacs.. before i spend hours trying to figure out where the truth lies, i'm curious if any experts have some scientific information to offer on the subject. apparently cannabis increases deep sleep and reduces REM sleep.. is this true? good? bad? i am still reading conflicting reports of it being a benefit or hinderance to a good night's sleep..

*the only anecdotal evidence i have for cannabis possibly reducing quality of sleep is that sometimes i get hungry after smoking, even when i have eaten a full dinner. anything about cannabis and blood sugar? i know blood sugar spikes are a recipe for a restless night.
 
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i don't understand the mechanics of it all to explain it, but it is pretty well established that cannabis use will interfere with sleeping patterns due to the nature of its interaction with the brain. I think it also has to do with the way it increases dopamine levels when used. It is pretty clear that it effects parts of the brain that also regulate sleep so to me, it is not surprising that it interrupts normal sleep patterns. Really, any drug that changes the natural levels in the brain will likely effect sleep and other things as well. The brain is a very sensitive organ.

it's weird tho, I remember when I first started smoking it was hard to stay awake after smoking a lot and if I smoked a lot it was pretty much impossible not to pass out. Once it became habitual I would sit up late night smoking fat, sometimes end up staying up all night smoking.
 
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