Cannabis and Dreams – Effects of Smoking Cannabis on Sleep and Dreams

For most cannabis users, smoking allows them to fall asleep quickly; They often cannot remember their dreams. So does smoking cannabis affect your ability to dream?

Think about it. If you are a regular smoker, can you remember one of your last dreams? Occasionally, maybe a few dreams, but probably not very many.

Have you ever taken a break from your cannabis use and had the craziest, vivid dreams? Perhaps cannabis inhibits our ability to sink into the 4th phase of sleep. Let’s take a closer look at this theory that cannabis affects dreams.

The art of dreaming

To better understand how cannabis affects our ability to dream, we must first understand the art of dreaming. In order to be able to dream, we go through four phases in our sleep cycle. These four phases range from light sleep (1) to heavy REM cycle sleep (4). We can dream in the REM cycle. Here is a diagram to break it down:

Photo by: Verywell Health

Dreams are crucial for our wellbeing!

As you can see, at the fourth stage, our brains are activated and our eyes move quickly. Experts say this phase is essential for our general wellbeing. In this phase, people are able to sort and process all of their emotions in a highly creative process known as DREAMING.

“Dreaming is not just a fun thing that happens while you sleep, it is an integral part of the recovery process and the memory and learning apparatus.”

– Dr. Jordan Tishler, President and CEO of the Association of Cannabis Specialists and Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Without slipping into the REM cycle, your brain is deprived of this vital process of dissolution. And over time, your brain will deteriorate into an impaired state.

Photo by: Ashkan Fourouzani

“In particular, withdrawal from REM can lead to cognitive dysfunction and mood swings.”

– Dr. Jordan carpenter

Cannabis + Sleep = No Dreams?

Well not exactly. While there is no concrete evidence to support this theory, smoking cannabis is known to interfere with the brain’s ability to sink into the REM cycle, and thus dream. Cannabis can certainly decrease or in some cases suppress REM sleep altogether.

“Cannabis use, and especially THC, shortens REM sleep and eliminates most people’s ability to dream because there is not enough time in this phase.”

– Kebra Smith-Bolden, Nurse and CEO of CannaHealth.

Click here to view a 2019 study from Swansea University.

Everything about balance

As with anything in life, there has to be a balance. For those who use cannabis to fall asleep, we’re not suggesting that you have to stop. Or that if you keep smoking weed, you will never dream again.

It depends on how much weed you smoke before bed and how often. If you only take a small dose every now and then, there is likely a low level of REM suppression. Problems with REM suppression are the higher THC doses and regular consumption.

The bottom line is that your brain needs a break every now and then …

The rebound

Photo by: Bruce Mars

To restore your dream ability, it is recommended that you take occasional breaks from cannabis. This cannabis break can be a few days, a week, whichever suits you best. By temporarily giving up your weed intake, your REM patterns can recover and your dream patterns will improve.

“Rebound is characterized by the return of vivid and unusual dreams as your mind recovers to the REM phase of sleep.”

– Smith Bolden

Have you ever taken a cannabis break? Have you noticed any changes in your dreams? Let us know in the comments below and follow @cannalifenet for more related content.