Weed And Sleep: Understanding The Complex Relationship

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the US, with 48.2 million Americans (18%) using it at least once in 2019. Many people use it to relax or fall asleep, but scientific research suggests that it can cause insomnia and other sleep problems. Marijuana contains THC, the primary psychoactive component that gets you high and interacts with your brain, making it difficult to achieve deep, restful sleep. It also disrupts your body's natural sleep cycle by interfering with the release of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. As a result, people who smoke weed to sleep often wake up feeling grogy and disoriented, and may experience worsened mental health conditions, impaired sleep quality, and reduced REM sleep.

Marijuana may disrupt your sleep cycle by interfering with the release of melatonin

THC, the primary psychoactive component of marijuana, interacts with the brain and disrupts the natural sleep cycle by interfering with the release of melatonin. This leads to decreased REM sleep, the stage of sleep when we dream and our brains are most active. As a result, people who smoke weed to sleep often experience grogginess and disorientation upon waking up.

In addition, while cannabis may promote sleepiness, especially in naive users or at low doses, higher doses and long-term use can lead to increased sleep latency and wakefulness after sleep onset. Frequent cannabis users tend to have shorter total sleep duration, reduced slow-wave sleep, worse sleep efficiency, and longer sleep onset compared to non-users.

The effects of cannabis on sleep are complex and depend on various factors such as the route of ingestion, strain of cannabis, dose, prior cannabis exposure, and individual factors like weight, metabolism, and gender. Therefore, it is essential to consider these variables when studying the impact of cannabis on sleep.

THC can cause anxiety and paranoia, which may be amplified if you have a history of mental illness

THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, can induce anxiety and paranoia. This is because THC binds to endocannabinoid receptors in the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates fear-related responses such as anxiety, stress, and paranoia. Large doses of THC can overstimulate the amygdala, leading to an onslaught of fear or anxiety-based responses.

THC-induced paranoia and anxiety can be amplified if you have a history of mental illness or an anxiety disorder. Studies have found that people who use weed regularly are more likely to experience psychotic symptoms than those who do not smoke. People with a personal or family history of mental illness may be more vulnerable to these adverse effects. Heavy cannabis use has been linked to abnormal brain development in young adults, which is a risk factor for developing schizoaffective disorder later in life.

If you suffer from any mental health conditions, it is essential to talk to a doctor before using marijuana in any form.

Heavy cannabis use has been linked to abnormal brain development and an increased risk of developing schizoaffective disorder later in life

Cannabis use is associated with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, especially in young adults. Research has found that regular cannabis use predicts an increased risk of schizophrenia and reporting psychotic symptoms. This relationship has been observed in longitudinal studies that controlled for potential confounders, such as other forms of drug use and personal characteristics that may increase the risk of psychosis.

One study found that individuals who used cannabis 20 or more days a month were 64% more likely to sleep less than six hours and 76% more likely to sleep longer than nine hours a night. This disruption to the sleep cycle can have serious long-term consequences for mental health.

The link between heavy cannabis use and abnormal brain development has been observed in multiple studies. For example, a Danish study of 6.9 million people found that up to 30% of schizophrenia diagnoses could have been prevented if young men had not developed cannabis use disorder. This study also revealed that the increasing potency of cannabis over time was associated with a rising rate of schizophrenia diagnoses.

The exact nature of the link between cannabis and schizophrenia is still not fully understood, and further research is needed to establish a definitive causal relationship. However, the existing evidence suggests that heavy cannabis use, particularly during adolescence when the brain is still developing, can increase the risk of abnormal brain development and schizoaffective disorder later in life.

Marijuana use can lead to dependence and addiction

The perception that marijuana use is innocuous and lacks dependence liability persists, but the first record of cannabis withdrawal was published in the 1940s. The medical community is now beginning to accept the idea that cannabis-related disorders represent a clinically significant public health problem. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide and in the United States. In the US, approximately 56% of young adults (19–28 years old) have tried cannabis at least once. This high prevalence allows for many people to have personal or anecdotal experience with marijuana without necessarily having personal interactions with dependent users.

The severity of cannabis withdrawal is not generally associated with symptoms that require hospitalisation or are viewed as potentially life-threatening. Furthermore, only a subset of regular marijuana users experience a clustering of symptoms upon cessation of use; estimates range from 1 in 6 to half of all such users. Common symptoms observed during cannabis withdrawal include anger, aggression, irritability, anxiety and nervousness, decreased appetite or weight loss, restlessness, and sleep difficulties with strange dreams.

Controlled laboratory studies have shown that THC produces profound tolerance after repeated administration, as assessed by self-reported intoxication, time spent in REM sleep, psychomotor task performance, and numerous autonomic physiological effects. The investigators also identified a subset of behaviours that increased dramatically among subjects during the 4 days after cessation of the drug, including disturbances in sleeping and eating, sweats and chills, tremors and restlessness, and irritability. Most of these symptoms subsided after a resumption of THC intake or marijuana smoking.

The long half-life and other pharmacokinetic properties of THC result in delayed expression of withdrawal symptoms, and because of the lack of contiguity between drug cessation and withdrawal responses, the latter are not readily recognised as a clinically relevant syndrome. Over the past 30 years, a substantial body of clinical and laboratory animal research has emerged supporting the assertion that chronic exposure to cannabinoids produces physical dependence and may contribute to drug maintenance in cannabis-dependent individuals.

Preclinical studies in a variety of laboratory animals show that repeated administration of THC or other cannabinoid agonists results in dependence. Animal models for assessing dependence also measure reinforcing and rewarding properties, such as self-administration, conditioned place preference, and intracranial self-stimulation. The two general approaches used to induce a state of drug withdrawal in preclinical drug dependence studies are spontaneous withdrawal and precipitated withdrawal. The results of preclinical studies using precipitated and spontaneous withdrawal procedures show that the ability to observe and quantify spontaneous withdrawal effects in experimental animals depends on many factors, including species, cannabinoid selection, duration of drug administration, time point at which withdrawal is assessed, and specific endpoints.

The clinical studies described above indicate that cannabinoid substitutes, such as THC, show the greatest promise to treat cannabis withdrawal. However, although THC reliably reduces withdrawal responses in cannabinoid-dependent humans and laboratory animals, this drug is also primarily responsible for marijuana's pharmacological effects and thus raises concern about the long-term outcome of this type of substitution therapy. Indeed, repeated THC administration has been well established to produce dependence. In contrast, inhibition of the endocannabinoid catabolic enzyme FAAH reduces the severity of cannabinoid withdrawal in animal models of THC dependence and, unlike THC, FAAH inhibitors do not appear to have reinforcing properties or dependence liability.

Given the relatively mild nature of the withdrawal syndrome and the political and public perception of cannabis dependence as a public health concern, there would have to be negligible abuse potential and side effects associated with any pharmacotherapeutic option. Further clinical studies are necessary to ascertain whether endocannabinoid catabolic enzyme inhibitors are effective for reducing withdrawal in cannabis-dependent individuals with minimal adverse impacts.

Marijuana can cause insomnia and sleep disturbances

Marijuana can indeed cause insomnia and sleep disturbances. While many people believe that smoking weed induces sleep, scientific research shows that it does the opposite. Marijuana causes insomnia and sleep disturbances in both the short and long term, which can be detrimental to your health.

• Anxiety: Marijuana contains THC, the compound that induces feelings of euphoria, and CBD, which reduces anxiety. However, THC causes anxiety, paranoia, panic attacks, and psychosis. If marijuana makes you anxious, this sense of worry or fear will likely cause insomnia.
• Reduced REM sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the deepest stage of sleep when you start dreaming. Marijuana reduces REM sleep, and without this stage, you are only getting light sleep rather than the deep sleep your body needs.
• Depression: Sleep inhibitions and insomnia are directly related to increased symptoms of depression.

• Reduced memory retention: The process of memory retention takes place during deep sleep. When your mind is denied this sleep, you will likely experience problems remembering details or events, and spatial memory responsible for learning may also be affected.
• Susceptibility to obesity: The body burns many calories during the REM stage due to increased brain activity. A lack of REM sleep means the body will burn fewer calories.
• Physical aches and pains: Research has shown that REM-deprived subjects experience more bodily aches and pains.

Quitting marijuana is the most logical thing to do. While you may experience withdrawal symptoms, stopping marijuana will help you get on a path to recovery. Here are some interventions to induce sleep:

• Consistent bedtime: Establish regular sleeping hours and avoid naps during the day.
• Only go to bed when sleepy: Lying in bed while still feeling awake and energetic may result in partial sleep deprivation. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine before going to bed.
• Create a calm environment: Keep the room quiet and dark, and try out meditation and muscle relaxation activities to reduce anxiety.

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