Effect of Smoking Marijuana Before Bed on Sleep Quality: A Personal Insight

Does smoking marijuana before bed have any impact on the quality of your sleep? Research and anecdotal evidence suggest that marijuana consumption can disrupt your sleep cycle, particularly by reducing the duration of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. REM is a critical phase where we dream and it is believed that sleep deprivation during this phase can lead to an increased rebound of REM sleep to try to make up for the lost time.

Impact on REM Sleep

During REM sleep, our bodies experience vivid dreams and heightened brain activity. A study by Amichi et al. showed that the consumption of marijuana can significantly reduce the amount of time spent in REM sleep. This reduction can affect the quality of sleep, as REM sleep is crucial for overall cognitive function, memory consolidation, and emotional well-being.

Personal Experience and Observations

From a personal perspective, regular smoking of marijuana close to bedtime can indeed impact how well you sleep and what type of dreams you remember. I often use a vape pen with high THC content shortly before going to bed, and I find that this can lead to a deep, refreshing sleep. However, I rarely remember my dreams, which may be due to the disruption of REM sleep.

Long-Term Usage and Medical Cannabis

My journey with cannabis began in 2012, and it has been a significant part of my daily routine since 2016. During this time, I have also held a medical cannabis card in Chicago, which has allowed me to legally use cannabis extracts. This long-term usage has led me to observe some interesting patterns regarding my dreams and sleep quality.

For instance, I notice that if I don't consume cannabis in the 2 hours leading up to bedtime, I tend to have vivid and memorable dreams. Conversely, if I engage in heavy use of cannabis a short while before bed, I tend to have fewer or hard-to-remember dreams. It seems that the THC disrupts REM sleep, leading to less dream recall.

Moreover, my experience as a recovering heroin addict also projects a potential influence on these patterns. The combination of THC and my past drug usage may interact in ways that further affect my sleep and dreams. However, more research is needed to fully understand these interactions.

In summary, the effects of smoking marijuana close to bedtime can have a significant impact on your REM sleep and, consequently, your dreams. While it can lead to deep, restful sleep, it may also result in fewer or less vivid dreams. This phenomenon seems to vary from person to person, and it is essential to consider your unique experience and physiological response to cannabis. For those looking to improve their sleep quality, it may be beneficial to experiment with different timing and types of cannabis consumption.

Further studies and personal experiences are welcome to shed more light on the complex interplay between marijuana, sleep, and dreams.