Cannabis interfering with REM sleep?

[HerrSchnaufer]

This is all wild speculation based on my own personal experience so feel free to tell me I'm completely wrong. I was thinking about this today, and could only find this thread on BL, which seemed somewhat inconclusive.

I've found (daily smoker, ~1-3g/day), I never remember my dreams when I go to sleep with THC still pumping round my system. If I sleep for a long period of time (8h+ - presumably so the physiological effects of the THC/CBD/CBN have worn off), I do remember the dreams immediately before I wake up, and on the very seldom occasion I will get to sleep without smoking before, my dreams are incredibly vivid. However, all that being said, some in the above thread said they dream more vividly after smoking, and I've friends who also say this.

My speculation was along the lines of ... if I am to understand correctly, REM sleep has something to do with storing the days information in the brain so it can be accessed readily, as well as something to do with when our dreams are most vivid.

The conclusion I came to is perhaps the idea of cannabis affecting short term memory has something to do with the disruption of REM sleep?

Again I'll emphasize this is nothing more than speculation on my part, but it seemed to fit, so who can prove me wrong (or right)?

 

[MurphyClox]

After smoking weed I rarely have dreams resp. do not remember them. Rather the contrary without the dope.

It's just my own observation. YMMV though.

- Murphy


P.S. This could be interesting for you:

Tassinari, C. A.; Ambrosetto, G.; Peraita-Adrado, M. R.; Gastaut, H.
"The neuropsychiatric syndrome of 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabis intoxication in naive subjects: A clinical and polygraphic study during wakefulness and sleep."
Marihuana and Medicine [Conference on Marihuana and Medicine], New York, Mar. 20-21 1998 (1999), pp. 649-664.
Publisher: Humana

Abstract
Summing up our study in naive subjects, we can draw two main conclusions. First, heavy (0.7-1 mg/kg) single oral doses of 9-THC in alc. or in oily soln. lead to effects similar to oral doses of hashish contg. a similar amt. of 9-THC; in both cases a severe intoxication occurs with a typical psychic and neurol. (abnormal movements and hyperflexial) syndrome. Second, 9-THC intoxication is also responsible for significant changes in nocturnal sleep with disappearance of REM stages and a decrease of slow sleep. When comparing the dramatic effects obsd. in our naive subjects and the effects obsd. with similar heavy doses of cannabis in chronic users one should admit that tolerance is likely to be the main factor responsible for such extreme differences.

...as well as the next article:

Murillo-Rodriguez, Eric; Millan-Aldaco, Diana; Palomero-Rivero, Marcela; Mechoulam, Raphael; Drucker-Colin, Rene.
"The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is a wake-inducing agent."
Behavioral Neuroscience 2008, 122(6), pp.1378-1382
Publisher: American Psychological Association

Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a constituent of Cannabis sativa that induces nonpsychotropic effects, and some of its biol. actions in sleep have been described by the authors' group. Here, the authors report that when administered 10 or 20 .mu.g/1 .mu.l during the lights-on period directly into either lateral hypothalamus (LH) or dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN), which are wake-inducing brain areas, CBD enhanced wakefulness and decreased slow wave sleep and REM sleep. Furthermore, CBD increased alpha and theta power spectra but diminished delta power spectra. Addnl., CBD increased c-Fos expression in LH or DRN. These findings suggest that this cannabinoid is a wake-inducing compd. that presumably activates neurons in LH and DRN.

 

[HerrSchnaufer]

Thanks Murphy, very helpful.

Looks like those papers seem to support the disruption of REM sleep theory then, I'm just curious as to how much this is responsible for those cliche stoner moments when you literally forget someones name 15 seconds after they've told you.

 

[K1nGp1N]

having smoked cannabis I get into a dream state quite quickly when I close my eyes, but i can wake up easily too. I highly doubt this is REM sleep though

 

[K1nGp1N]

Also, REM sleep is not as important as you think, its the dreamless sleep that repairs the body, at least more and more studies are showing this

 

[Vader]

^Links to said studies please?

 

[thujone]

yeah i'm not sure what to think of this myself. if i haven't smoked for a while and suddenly have a joint one night then i do dream quite vividly, but when there's a permanent level of THC in me then i can't remember my dreams any longer. i'm not certain if it's just to do with the short-term memory loss or whether cannabis entirely suppresses rem, but i think it's probably the former since dreams are so fleeting that many people who don't do any drugs at all can't remember their dreams either.

 

[Vader]

^I don't think that the effects of cannabis on dreams are just that they become harder to remember, ime they are less vivid too. When I stopped smoking dope heavily all day, every day, my dreams were so vivid that they were nigh-on indistinguishable from reality for a while.

 

[Imperial Tacohead]

More generally, is there a list of drugs with sedating effects that at least partially suppress REM sleep? I've tried looking for this information with regards to carisoprodol in particular and found nothing.

 

[fryingsquirrel]

Thanks Murphy, very helpful.

Looks like those papers seem to support the disruption of REM sleep theory then, I'm just curious as to how much this is responsible for those cliche stoner moments when you literally forget someones name 15 seconds after they've told you.

Seems unlikely, after all you wouldn't have had a chance to sleep in the meantime.

 

[The.KK]

From personal experience, if I'm high I will not or barely dream. If I don't smoke for a while, like on vacations, I get extremely vivid dreams. My friends confirm the same thing.

Apparently you will only remember your dream if you woke up dreaming it.