How does cannabis effect the quality of your sleep?

[nancy145]

If I smoke before I go to bed, would it help or hurt the quality of my sleep? Will I need more or less sleep overall?

 

[assclass]

depends on the person. try it and find out.

im basically dependant on cannabis for sleep now.

 

[Durzo1258]

It affects REM phase. So less dreaming until you take a break, when you do dreams will be back with revenge.

 

[Jibult]

^^Less dreaming for most people.

My dreams are dope as fuck nightly, and I go to sleep thanks to inebriation almost every night.



OP, aim for ~8 hours of sleep and you'll be A-OK once you get used to waking up with a highover.

 

[growit&smokeit]

Superficially you will sleep better but the lack of REM sleep is bad news long term. One of the reasons smoking everyday isn't a good idea.

 

[Thomas Davie]

People are different; but without MJ, I wouldn't be sleeping. Indica and high CBD strains are what help me. That having been said, the doctors are not only ok with my MJ use, but are going to increase my prescription. And although I derive no joy from this, I've got doctor(s) permission to come in to dialysis treatments as high as a kite if it helps me sleep.

And about the dreaming/lack thereof - I have nightmares on weed and nightmares without, remember my dreams with and without. Without MJ though, no sleep at all unless through exhaustion.

Tom

 

[Jackal]

I don't favour strong Sativa dominant strains before sleeping. But not everybody experiences things the same. YMMV, but I sleep like a dead man after some of my go to bud..

I only dream after waking at dawn and sleeping again while I am smoking daily.

 

[Bella Figura]

Depending on my tolerance it'll either eradicate dreams (or memories thereof) or I'll just have dreams as usual / wake up screaming some nonsense.

I have gotten into the habit of having a couple spliffs before bed time, but that's what works for me. I see it as the lesser of all evils in terms of drugs and 'dependancy'.

Used to be an all day everyday smoker but that left me with more problems than it was worth.

 

[Jackal]

^
Agreed, stoner phases are great, but now I moderate similarly because life reality.

 

[waffle-head]

I can only smoke old skool pollen hash (no paranoia) and I have a smoke right before bed. At first, I let my mind just drift from one mental scenario to annother, sometimes with closed eye visuals, which are normally quite plesant, then I just get heavy, roll over and fall asleep. I believe it helps me drift off well, I feel comfortable and cosy, but I do experience brief periods of waking during the night.

I can definitely say that mj helps me fall asleep, which is always my biggest hurdle when going to bed. But I'm unsure as to how it affects the sleep rhythm and overall quality.

 

[wallywogs]

I am a daily smoker, I also live in Vancouver BC and belong to an awesome compassion club as well as a couple of other good dispensaries. I have 2 small safes in my home office stacked right next to my pistol cabinets...yeah really, not kidding. Anyway the top safe is for Sativa or Sativa heavy strains all labelled in jars. The bottom safe is for, yep you guessed it Indica and Indica heavy strains. I always have a good supply, as well I usually have a couple of grams of shatter and I like to have 10 grams of hash in reserve at all times. Also usually some edibles and THC Caps. I find that by mixing it up and trying not to smoke until after 4:30 most days I feel good and sleep really well. You guys are right though I don't usually remember dreams or if I do it is i the morning after I wake up and fall asleep again.

I love Cannabis, I am a SWM 59 years old and have been smoking daily for about a year and a half. I started for some medical reasons, I think I posted here about that ...my doctor who is also my wife and daughters doc is cool with it. He signed the paperwork to get me in the compassion club. Wife doesnt care if I smoke as long as I don't drive. I don't actually smoke in the home, but vaping in my office is cool.

 

[iksaxophone]

As someone who has had little trouble sleeping and has always NEEDED about eight hours of sleep to feel good, falling asleep high has definitely reduced my quality of sleep. I assume this is due to the REM interruption.
Here's what I've heard: if you can't sleep at all, smoke it because some rest is better than no rest. If you can sleep, give yourself at least enough time before bed to be coming down as you drift off.

 

[Redkitty7]

Actually it depends on the strain....indica or sativa?

 

[Snake_Eyes]

Yeah technically it is a waste but when you're high more often than not it stops being a big deal. After 6+ years of daily use it becomes less of a recreational drug and more of a mood support medication, to really feel like I'm high I usually need
to poly-drug.

It affects REM phase. So less dreaming until you take a break, when you do dreams will be back with revenge.

So true. It does suppress my dreams almost completely but every now and then I'll get lucky and remember a flash or two. If I have 15 hours I can dedicate to sleep I'll take 30mg mirtazapine (no tolerance) to really make my dreams amazingly vivid. It's incredible to go from never having or remembering my dreams/nightmares to having one(s) feel so real it's like you're stepping into a movie...lol I'm having dream cravings. 8(

 

[smokedup]

This is one of the major effects of cannabis that needs more research.

I find this the worst/only negative aspect to cannabis really. It seems to be the only thing it really messes with neurologically for long stretches of time.

At times, these dreams become very full on, as if i were at war,(once i was getting rockets fired by the US Gov. in a demolished building) or I was in some movie, soemthing always dramatic was happening.

The erratic dreams meant I never really get full peace at night. It feels as if im on standby and not actually 'turned off'.

 

[TheAppleCore]

It affects REM phase. So less dreaming until you take a break, when you do dreams will be back with revenge.

I find this to be true.

Lately I've started cutting back on smoking before bed, because it does seem to negatively impact the quality of my sleep a bit. I tend to wake up after fewer hours, as well.