Hello and thank you for the great question,
Studies have show that THC reduces the proportion of time spent in REM sleep, while increasing the proportion of time spent in stage 4 sleep; CBD does not seem to alter the sleep cycle.
https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cpt1972133426
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895650/
Stage 4 is the most restorative stage of sleep — it is when the body repairs itself, stimulates growth and development, and boosts immune function. REM sleep plays an important role in learning and memory function, since this is when your brain consolidates and processes information from the day before so that it can be stored in your long-term memory. Dreaming also plays a role in the processing of emotional memories, and balancing mood and learning.
While decreasing the fraction of time spent in the REM stage seems detrimental, for many, the absolute amount of time spent in the REM stage of sleep may increase, since the overall amount of sleep has increased. However, if you don’t difficulty falling asleep, and you miss your dreams, you should abstain from cannabis for a few hours before bedtime, and/or lower the dose of THC at nighttime.
For more information on cannabis’ effect on the sleep cycle, here is a link to an excellent article:
https://www.hellomd.dev/health-wellness/5a7b94a8f24d1300077ccb39/does-cannabis-reduce-rem-sleep-and-your-ability-to-dream
drkim
Hello and thank you for the great question,
Studies have show that THC reduces the proportion of time spent in REM sleep, while increasing the proportion of time spent in stage 4 sleep; CBD does not seem to alter the sleep cycle.
https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cpt1972133426
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895650/
Stage 4 is the most restorative stage of sleep — it is when the body repairs itself, stimulates growth and development, and boosts immune function. REM sleep plays an important role in learning and memory function, since this is when your brain consolidates and processes information from the day before so that it can be stored in your long-term memory.
While decreasing the fraction of time spent in the REM stage seems detrimental, for many, the absolute amount of time spent in the REM stage of sleep may increase, since the overall amount of sleep has increased. However, if you don’t difficulty falling asleep, and you miss your dreams, you should abstain from cannabis for a few hours before bedtime, and/or lower the dose of THC at nighttime.
For more information on cannabis’ effects on the sleep cycle, here is a link to an excellent article:
https://www.hellomd.dev/health-wellness/5a7b94a8f24d1300077ccb39/does-cannabis-reduce-rem-sleep-and-your-ability-to-dream
drkim
