Melatonin, marijuana and a good night’s sleep

When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, many cannabis users reach for their favorite indica for a few hits. While the indica has a calming effect on most, the weed also works in conjunction with melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone in our brain that plays a huge role in our sleep patterns.

While melatonin helps us achieve the all-important REM sleep cycle of dreamland, cannabis is known to suppress dreams in many users. People from all walks of life anecdotally report that they just don’t dream that much, if at all. Of course there are exceptions. I dream in the style of a vivid action movie, and I know others with active dream lives, but for the majority of heavy weed smokers, dreams are elusive at best.

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Turns out people turn to forums like Erowid to share their experience of taking melatonin supplements with their nocturnal cannabis. Apparently, smoking after taking melatonin not only helps you drift off into dreamland (a little higher than usual), it also helps you experience dreams — or at least remember what could theoretically mean that the person is having a get better shape from rest.

People find that they are also able to come off benzo drugs by combining melatonin and cannabis. The biggest side effect that both methods have in common is the difficulty getting up in the morning. That being said, melatonin and marijuana are both harmless, naturally occurring substances, while we’re all familiar with the dirty lists of side effects that come with most big pharma productions.

The coolest thing about regaining or amplifying your dreams with these two supplements combined is that the mild psychedelic effects of cannabis can amplify the dreamer’s visual perception, turning them into fun mirrors and detailed landscapes. Some also report lucid dreams, where you are aware that it is a dream and you can manipulate what is going on inside you.

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Melatonin supplements also come in handy when weed isn’t around. If you’ve run out of food or had to take a break for a while, melatonin will fill in your preferred strain and help you fall asleep gently. Along with the naturally produced melatonin you already need, you’ll be heading to bed in no time.