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Advice for Cannabis Insomnia

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AlextheKing

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
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Hi all, Ive been thinking of quitting/cutting back on smoking weed, but the prospect of knowing I won't be able to sleep unless I smoke discourages me IMMENSELY. So what techniques do you use for getting to sleep without smoking? I'd assume exercise, yes, but any other mindfulness techniques maybe?

Also are there any sleeping pills you would recommend? I had some magic ones, seroquel, but my script ran out so maybe some OTC sleeping pills that are strong, stronger than melatonin for sure.

I still enjoy blazing up when I have time, which is usually once a day, but there are days that I simply don't feel like smoking but Im obligated to if I want to fall asleep within 2 hours of trying. I know this means I smoke to the point Ive developed a dependence and tapering would likely help (right)?

Well thats it, any and all insights are welcomed! Stay high Bluelighters
 
Chronic weed use usually makes your sleep worse. Odds are after one or two nights of adjustment you'll sleep 5x better than you did when you were high.
 
I think this really depends on how much one smokes... for very heavy smokers, insomnia might last some more days. I am on a break right now, but before that I smoked only maybe a tenth of a gram a day, and sleep was the same before and after stopping. I'd say a quick taper over a week or two might be enough to be able to overcome the insomnia when you quit.
 
If you can't quit cold turkey odds are you're not going to quit, so yeah no. It's scientifically proven that cold turkey is most effective. Because people who don't have the will power to do that are unlikely to find a way to quit.
 
If it's proven, show me proof ;)

It's also good to realize that different things work for different people.
 
I went without smoking when I was hospitalized for 2 weeks last May. It was very unpleasant and I thought of weed every day. That and coffee were all me and another patient talked about.

Longest I’ve gone without smoking in the last 35 years was 6 hellish months. Didn’t Sleep worth crap, lost weight, couldn’t keep food down, grumpy all the time.

Whether or not you use it for medical reasons may play a role in the severity of your withdrawal.

Tom
 
If I may ask what is the reason for not wanting to smoke to sleep. If smoking itself is the problem then oil or edibles could always replace that. Plus by the sounds of it you don't want to go the chemical route aka benzo or scheduled sleeping tablets . I have found some OTC sleeping meds to work but not sure if they are available in your country. Like I said in the past I use to use Betasleep which help me a bit but not a lot. The main chemical was diphenhydramine hcl, so maybe that can help.
 
I use CBD at night when I want to sleep and don't want to get high.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'd say cold turkey would be best for sleep, otherwise tapering would prolong the brain's chemical readjustment to not rely on artificial intakes of CBD or THC for sleeping.

I'll look into this Betasleep and for medications containing diphenylhydramine HCl;
my main reason for not smoking is it makes me groggy the next morning and I usually waste the AM period of the day just trying to come up with some energy.

I read something I liked on here "Just quit and never look back" I'm going to try and just go 90 days, don't want to set the bar too high, but if I could just go back to occasional use like how it was when I first started that would be great but I think a solid break will really help to clear my head.

Thanks again guys and gals.
 
FUCK diphenhydramine. Worst hangovers ever, end up sleeping for 16hrs straight. You're looking for melatonin-- 10mg if you weigh 150+lbs, 5mg if you weigh less.


2mg never seems to work for anybody I know that tries it.

Melatonin. 5mg or 10mg, depending on how big you are. It'll change your life.
 
Jibult said:
FUCK diphenhydramine. Worst hangovers ever, end up sleeping for 16hrs straight. You're looking for melatonin-- 10mg if you weigh 150+lbs, 5mg if you weigh less.


2mg never seems to work for anybody I know that tries it.

Melatonin. 5mg or 10mg, depending on how big you are. It'll change your life.
Click to expand...

I guess i was lucky then because for me i never got a hangover feeling or grogginess the next day
 
You actually only need a few hundred micrograms of melatonin.

http://news.mit.edu/2001/melatonin-1017

Using the crazy doses they sell in stores makes your sleep worse long term generally. I kind of suspected this when I first read about melatonin and learned it was a hormone the body naturally produces. I don't think any good can generally come from screwing with hormones beyond testosterone, which pretty much leads to men dying sooner (eunuchs live much longer, not that I think it's a good idea to cut my balls off, I'm just saying that's the only positive thing I've ever heard).
 
I'd say valerian, chamomile, tulsi, ashwagandha in a tea - boil for a while - like 5 mins. ALthough unless you really can't get sleep, forego the valerian, unless you gotta go work next day.

maybe get some (USA?) everclear and make a tincture ready for use in minimum 2 weeks time - this will extract and infuse the the most active ingredients out of those herbs possible. THis should have minimum hangover too, you might need a perk up like ginseng in the morning for a while, but at least 21 days, and you shall have a new sleep pattern implanted. Without weed.

Smoking weed before bedtime was a habit I got outa REALLY quickly when I used to blaze a lot, as I hated waking up with a "cloud in my head".

Then I started smoking more sativa dom strains and couldnt go to sleep to save my life! hahahaha...too much spinal stimulation.

But yeah.

Fuck pills, you smoke natty, so settle you nervous system natty - herbs are the way home.

ONE LOVE

PS practice "whole body breathing", and look up "alternate nostril breathing" - take control of your nervous system.
 
Coffeeshroom said:
I guess i was lucky then because for me i never got a hangover feeling or grogginess the next day
Click to expand...

Oh. My. GOD it's the worst.

It's hard to describe, honestly. I just remember waking up with sore, stiff, achey muscles, my eyes felt like they were sunken into my eye sockets, and the headache would feel like there was battery acid coating my brain and drip, drip, dripping down my neck. I switched to melatonin ~2008 and the only side effect is that I get dizzy when it kicks in (but there's a lot of alcohol in me by the end of the day, as well.) Strangely enough, I can also fall asleep without it despite near daily use for longer than a decade, just not when I want to. Melatonin makes it easy for me to rest when I'm able to, as opposed to when my body wants me to.

The Network said:
You actually only need a few hundred micrograms of melatonin.

http://news.mit.edu/2001/melatonin-1017
Click to expand...

Have you ever taken melatonin or did you just read a bunch of articles before noping out of the prospect?

I've recommended melatonin to every single person in my life that mention having sleep troubles. It's been a successful remedy for all but one person, and I'm pretty confident it's because dude weighed over 200lbs and refused to take more than 2mg, and the next day he was certain that melatonin was bullshit.

You're right that it's not good for a person long-term, but close to nothing is-- the key to successful substance abuse and self-medication is moderation, but if you're not willing to moderate you at least need to educate yourself of the potential consequences of your actions. I thought that was pretty common knowledge around here.

I don't understand why you'd think it's okay to play with testosterone but no other hormones, though. Seems kind of arbitrary.
 
Jibult said:
FUCK diphenhydramine. Worst hangovers ever, end up sleeping for 16hrs straight. You're looking for melatonin-- 10mg if you weigh 150+lbs, 5mg if you weigh less.


2mg never seems to work for anybody I know that tries it.

Melatonin. 5mg or 10mg, depending on how big you are. It'll change your life.
Click to expand...
Melatonin is actually over dosed. It?s more effective in the 200-800 micrograms range. Food for thought

Question for the OP, do you just smoke at night as a sleep aid? Or do you puff earlier in the day?
 
DoctorMolecule said:
Melatonin is actually over dosed. It?s more effective in the 200-800 micrograms range. Food for thought

Question for the OP, do you just smoke at night as a sleep aid? Or do you puff earlier in the day?
Click to expand...

I only smoke at night, when I'm done all my school work. I stopped 2 days ago and the past two nights have been rough. lay awake for about 4-5 hours before I fall asleep.
 
Take melatonin about 2 hours before you plan on going to bed. That, combined with healthy sleeping habits like making sure its completely dark(no electronics), sticking to a sleep schedule, no exercise 2-3 hours before bed, and so on, should be enough to facilitate healthy sleep. Meditation and stretching before bed helps me as well. Waking up early and working hard all day until i'm exhausted helps as well. Some of it will just take time as your body adjusts to the change but it should come eventually. Usually when I quit I will go a night or two without sleep and then collapse. Most report sleeping way better once they are able to start sleeping normally again.

If things don't start to improve in a month or so, I'd consider seeing a counselor or a sleep specialist if those are options. I'd personally avoid sleeping pills just because in general they greatly diminish the actual quality of sleep.
 
I find that exercise and staying away from electronics at night can go a long way towards fixing sleeping problems.

It's much more appealing to stay up late and get stoned and play video games yeah? But it's hell for your sleep .
 
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