Does Using Cannabis While Sleeping Cause Crazy Dreams?

Did you wake up from sleep thinking, “What was my dream last night?” Or maybe you have dreamed the same dream over and over and are curious. It is also possible that you woke up without remembering the dreams you had the previous night. Read on as I analyze the fundamentals of dreams and clarify the role cannabis plays in influencing dreams.

Yes, it can be a very emotional experience awakening from the same dream especially if you don’t remember the details. Regardless of the state of your dreamy experience, I believe that we all want to be able to analyze our dreams.

Before proceeding, it should be noted that from an analytical point of view, there is a link between your dreams and cannabis. Walking down that rabbit hole of your dreams you don’t want to wake up distraught and CBD can help you with that. Before we talk about the relationship between cannabis and dreams, however, we need to understand the meaning of dreams.

What are dreams

Dreams happen in our subconscious, which is generated by our mind during sleep. Your dreams happen during your Rapid Eye Movement (REM) while you sleep, and this is when your brain is most active.

Since your brain is very active, it explains why you sometimes don’t remember the details of your dream when you wake up. Lack of memory makes you feel confused, dizzy, and emotional because you cannot remember your unconscious information.

Some people believe that dreams take us into our subconscious space to connect with our emotions, solve deeply ingrained problems, and better understand our emotions. What are the different phases of sleep? We need to understand this before we know the relationship between sleep, dreams and cannabis.

Different phases of sleep

When we sleep, our brain goes through five stages of sleep, and the REM mentioned earlier is the longest stage:

Stage one is light sleep that occurs when you drift into and out of consciousness. At this stage, anything can cause you to wake up.

On the second levelThe electrical impulses from your brain slow down and ring in the third stage.

On the third levelYou will start to feel the “delta waves” with a higher frequency. These delta waves are high brain waves from the cortex that are associated with deep sleep.

Level four happens when there is no eye movement or muscle activity.

On the fifth levelYou will be in REM, and this is when your breathing becomes irregular. Your heart rate increases, your eyes move quickly, and your muscles are temporarily paralyzed. The REM phase can occur a few times during sleep, depending on how long you sleep.

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A full sleep cycle lasts 100 minutes, and the first REM period begins between 70 and 90 minutes after you fall asleep. REM also lasts 10-20 minutes, which means your dreams will occur within this timeline.

You would not know what time you are entering REM as that is deep sleep. However, now you know that your dreams will not come true at the first stage. Hence, all you dream of is a place in your subconscious that is inspired by the emotions, the information you give your mind, and the experiences (past or present).

So what’s the connection between dreams and cannabis?

Cannabis and your dreams

For years, cannabis has been known to suppress dreams due to the effects of THC on the brain. People who use cannabis often talk about how they see a decrease in REM during sleep.

But then they also experience deep sleep, which means that the person slips deeper into the unconscious level. This isn’t a bad thing because deep sleep is the most restful type of sleep you will ever experience.

RELATED: Here’s Why Cannabis Users Cannot Remember Their Dreams

If you notice a decrease in active brain activity while you are asleep, the THC in cannabis will help you stay subconsciously long enough to have a restful sleep. People with post-traumatic stress disorder or insomnia need cannabis to calm mental activity, which translates into quieter dreams.

If you spend more time in deep sleep after taking THC, you may not wake up to your dreams as clearly, but you will have a more refreshing sleep experience.

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For a deeper rabbit hole experience and clarity to your dreams, you may need to decrease your THC intake before bed. When you take a higher dose, your mind becomes very active, allowing you to have more detailed dreams to remember when you wake up.

RELATED: This is what happens when you use marijuana to help you sleep

It is important to note, however, that suddenly quitting cannabis can result in what is known as a “REM rebound,” which alters your dream patterns as a whole. If you need to stop using cannabis, please first gradually reduce your doses rather than stopping suddenly.

Bottom line

Cannabis has evolved a lot over the years. Unlike in the past, it now shows up in almost every conversation. The rabbit hole is your subconscious mind where all of the dream actions take place, and going down that rabbit hole is something that happens when you sleep. When you consume cannabis, the THC in it acts as a suppressant, allowing you to have calmer dream experiences.

If you want to remember the details of your dreams, you can increase your CBD intake before bed. But if you don’t want to remember the details, it’s okay to cut your dosage down.

With cannabis, you can take control of your dream life by determining what you want to remember and what you don’t want to remember. You also decide whether to sleep soundly or sleep just enough to make your dreams come true when you wake up.

If you have never been paying attention to your dreams and weed intake, now is a good time to start. You may notice a new pattern that is leading you to either gain clarity with your dreams or enjoy deeper, more restful sleep!

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.