Why Does Weed Make You Sleepy?

Cannabis as a sleep aid is still being researched. Weed may aid with insomnia when used in moderation, but experts aren’t clear if long-term use is beneficial or harmful to sleep quality. So, does weed make you sleepy? Here’s what we know. 

Both recreational and medical cannabis users utilize weed as a sleep aid. Around 70% of young individuals who use weed for recreational purposes say it helps them fall asleep. Nearly 50% of long-term weed consumers (people who have been using it for at least 10 years) use it to improve their sleep. Up to 85% of those who use cannabis for medical purposes, such as pain management, also claim it helps them sleep better.

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Does Weed Help You Sleep Better?

Yes, in certain circumstances, weed appears to help with sleep. People with chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may find that weed helps them fall asleep faster, wake up less during the night, and have improved overall sleep quality. In addition, a recent study indicated that weed effectively improves the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Weed is widely used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and pain. The efficacy of marijuana for sleep among these users is more ambiguous, while a study of insomniacs indicated that many participants felt improvement from their symptoms when taking cannabis.

Why Does Weed Make You Sleepy?

Cannabinoids’ sleep-inducing effects are thought to be caused by their interactions with cannabinoid ligands in the human brain. When cannabinoids attach to these receptors, they convey messages to the brain’s arousal system. As a result, it raises concentrations of sleep-promoting adenosine and suppress the arousal system. These effects may work together to make cannabis users feel drowsy or sleepy.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are two active chemicals found in weed. While THC is most commonly used as a sedative, it can also cause a stimulating effect in some people, especially those who are new to weed or who are taking higher amounts. 

So, does smoking weed make you sleepy? In certain situations, smoking weed before bedtime may cause you to take longer to fall asleep. At smaller dosages, CBD appears to enhance alertness, but at greater amounts, it appears to promote sleepiness. The net effect of the two substances may be affected by the dose and time.

Both CBD and THC may help with chronic diseases that make it difficult to sleep. Synthetic versions of THC, for instance, have demonstrated the potential to treat obstructive sleep apnea, lowering PTSD-related nightmares, and enhance sleep in chronic pain patients. CBD, on the other hand, has been shown to help those with REM sleep behavior disorder and severe daytime drowsiness.

The effects you experience when taking weed as a sleep aid may vary depending on the sort of cannabis you’re consuming.

Does Weed Consumption Affect Your Sleep Quality?

Weed may modify your sleep architecture. So, does weed make you sleepy and improve your sleep quality? 

Short-term cannabis usage appears to improve the number of hours spent in deep sleep, which helps you feel refreshed when you wake up. THC, on the other hand, reduces the number of hours you invest in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is when you dream, process emotions, and form new memories.

People with PTSD may benefit from reducing REM sleep because nightmares are a prevalent and debilitating symptom. Women with more serious PTSD symptoms and poor sleep were much more likely to use cannabis to cope, according to a study of women with PTSD. Synthetic versions of cannabis were found to dramatically reduce or eliminate nightmares in people with PTSD in one study. Some of the study’s subjects also reported greater overall sleep quality and fewer daytime flashbacks.

Is Indica or Sativa Better for Sleep? 

Weed comes in a variety of strains, each with its own set of effects. Indica and sativa strains are the most popular ones. So, does indica weed make you sleepy or does sativa?

• Indica is said to be more calming as it helps to produce feelings of serenity and drowsiness. For pain relief, calmness, and improved sleep, indica tends to be the favored strain.
• Sativa is regarded to be more exciting, and in some people, it can generate euphoria. Sativa is a popular herb for boosting energy levels.

Indica may be the best cannabis strain for sleep because of its soothing effects. People who consume cannabis to escape nightmares, on the other hand, may favor sativa. 

One question that arises here is does hybrid weed make you sleepy? Based on the precise composition of cannabinoids and other chemicals, hybrid strains with a combination of indica and sativa may generate distinct effects.

The majority of the distinctions between sativa and indica strains are dependent on cannabis consumers’ subjective experiences. According to some studies, the difference between indica and sativa strains is less important than the variation of THC content and other chemicals in any given product.

When Should You Consume Weed to Help with Sleep?

When selecting a weed strain, keep in mind that some strains take longer or shorter to produce effects. In the case of smoking, the effects are usually felt nearly instantly. However, edibles take longer to take effect since they must pass through your gastrointestinal tract first. It is best to smoke an hour before bedtime since the calming effects of cannabis last for around 3 to 4 hours, whereas edibles should be taken much sooner.

Weed consumption has a wide range of effects depending on an individual, the duration of inhalation, the number of times it is inhaled, and other circumstances.

Do Dabs Make You Sleepy?

Dabs, also known as wax, is a highly concentrated variant of butane hash oil (BHO). It contains high quantities of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This potent substance is prepared using a chemical procedure that extracts the oils from cannabis using butane oil.

THC has been shown in studies to have sedative properties, making it much easier to fall asleep, especially in its most concentrated form. THC may also enhance breathing while sleeping, making it a possible therapeutic for treating obstructive sleep apnea.

Conclusion

So, how do you decide if using weed before sleep is right for you? Weed is used by many people to treat pain and insomnia. Some people, on the other hand, report that it makes them feel more apprehensive or worried. 

Also, it’s crucial to consider whether weed makes you sleepy the next day. If you don’t want to risk potentially feeling sleepy or high the next day, a variety with greater CBD content might be a better choice for you.