Although the relationship between marijuana and dreams is complicated, marijuana has profound effects on dreams. There is generally recognition of marijuana’s sedative effects, but few are familiar with marijuana’s dream-influencing effects. The problem is that marijuana users often have disturbing, vivid, and uncomfortable dreams when they aren’t taking a cannabis dose. Learn about both the positive and the negative effects of marijuana on dreams by reading this article.
Why Do Humans Dream and What Causes Dreams?
Understanding how marijuana affects dreams begins with understanding why humans are capable of dreams in the first place, and what happens during the various stages of sleep; yes, there are different stages of sleep.
Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated by dreams. The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed dreams to be the souls of the dead, and the Babylonians, Egyptians, and the ancient Babylonians also believed so.
Modern times have continued to be obsessed with dreams. In recent years, MRI studies of the brain have shown that dreams play a large role in determining a person’s age, intelligence, and genetic potential. Sleep is an essential component of memory and recall, creative thinking, and emotion processing, even though the study of dreams is still in its early stages. There are a host of other possible causes for why people dream that are being unearthed by scientists every day.
Certain diseases have been treated through dreaming, for instance. Let’s learn about the sleep stages in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of sleep and dreams. Sleep stages for humans are called REMs (rapid eye movements) and NREMs (non-rapid eye movements).
There are three stages in the NREM;
- N1: You transition from being awake to sleeping during this period.
- N2: This is also a passing sleep stage, occurring when you change from one stage of sleep to another, for example, from N3 to REM sleep.
- N3: Slow wave sleep (SWS). NREM sleeps at its deepest. This is the stage where your body gets both physical and mental restorative energy.
While humans can dream at any stage of the cycle, they dream most during the REM stage. The REM stage is thought to be responsible for 80 percent of all dreams. Strangely, you spend only 20% of your sleep time in Rapid Eye Movement (REM).
A REM dream is a strange dream, but you can recall it easily because your daily routines appear in it.
It is essential to get enough REM sleep because your brain is experiencing many critical emotional and memory processes during this time. Moreover, noradrenaline, an essential anxiety-producing hormone, is absent during this period.
What Effect Does Marijuana Have On Dreams?
This understanding of sleep has given you insight into why we dream, why we sleep, and why we sleep. We’re now going to show you how marijuana influences your dreams through the sleep cycle. While regularly using marijuana, users report having few dreams. Then, when they decide to take a tolerance break, they start dreaming intensely.
REM sleep is suppressed by marijuana’s main intoxicating ingredient, THC. Check out https://homegrowncannabisco.com/cannabis-seeds-rooms/sativa-seeds for more details. Heavy and regular marijuana users spent less time in their REM stage compared to those who did not use marijuana.
REM is the stage of sleep during which the majority of our dreams occur. The lack of REM sleep effect of regular marijuana users may explain their dreamlessness.
But, what does that study say about marijuana’s effect on sleep? This is super simple. Read on to find out. Many people use marijuana as a sleeping aid, and research has shown that marijuana works well in our bodies through the ECS.
Certain strains of marijuana appear to affect the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, while others work right away. There is evidence that CBD and THC affect sleep patterns differently according to dose. Moreover, the study found that THC helps people sleep, but it also makes them moody, which makes specific tasks difficult.
Also, participants who were administered THC spent less time in stage 3 of REM sleep. However, CBD caused participants to wake up. These results indicate CBD might make you awaken at night.
It depends on what type of marijuana a person uses and their own personal belief system whether marijuana affects a person’s dreams negatively or positively.
What to do when you are on a tolerance break to prevent crazy dreams
There’s a good chance you’ll experience crazy dreams and insufficient sleep if you decide to take a tolerance break. Do you know how you can prevent the side effects from occurring?
Yes, that’s the short answer.
When you give up a routine habit, it will take your body a little while to adjust. The same goes for marijuana. Depending on how frequently you use marijuana, you will need a certain amount of time to withdraw. The effects of strange marijuana dreams and sleep disturbances with abstinence can even get worse on the second day.
However, the duration of these effects varies from person to person. In some cases, people may not even feel a single effect from these medications. You can try some strategies to improve the quality of your sleep, which is good news. Here are some ideas:
- Keep the same routine on weekends as well, like waking up at the same time every day.
- Create a relaxing, calm, and comfortable bedroom.
- Get a comfortable mattress and good bedding.
- During the night, stay away from caffeine.
- Turn the lights down or off if possible.
- Before going to bed, do something relaxing. Stretch for a few minutes, perhaps.
Also, a good idea is to switch over to low THC high CBD marijuana if the marijuana you’re using is high THC. The CBD in marijuana does not make you intoxicated. You will sleep better and experience less anxiety when using CBD oil. You will not, however, have nightmares when using it.
Summary
There will always be a gordian knot when it comes to marijuana and sleep. The benefits of marijuana include promoting better sleep. Moreover it can also cause withdrawal symptoms, over at Homegrown Cannabis Co. website you may learn more about the wonders of this plant. The key to effectively consuming marijuana is to find a balance.
