Have you ever woken up the morning after a late-night smoke sesh or bedtime gummy and thought, “What in the world just happened?” If so, you’re probably like the millions of other people who feel some deep connection between their cannabis consumption and their dreams.
There’s a lot of growing interest about how CBD and dreams are connected, and how certain cannabinoids can impact your sleep cycles, how well you can recall your dreams, and even the things you dream about.
Whether your dreams feel more colorful and vivid than usual or you’re just trying to figure out why you’re waking up feeling like you’re not quite back to reality, we’re going to explore all there is to know about how cannabis and dreams interact.
The After-Hours Connection Between Cannabis and Sleep
Learning how cannabis and dreams relate to one another starts with understanding how cannabinoids interact with the body, whether THC, CBD, THCA, or any other compound derived from the cannabis plant.
When we consume cannabis, it interacts with our endocannabinoid system (ECS). This is a network of receptors in our bodies that regulates many of our day-to-day functions, such as mood, appetite, and, you guessed it, sleep!
It’s worth noting that THC and CBD interact with this system differently.
THC has long been associated with a decrease in REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep where most of our dreaming occurs. So, naturally, the less time you spend in REM, the fewer vivid dreams (if any) you’re likely to have. Some people might like it that way, but for the dream chasers out there, it’s a bit of a disappointing statistic.
On the other hand, CBD and dreams have a comparatively unique relationship. Many studies show that it supports longer, deeper sleep, though some note that it also reduces dream recall.
For now, however, most of the information surrounding CBD and recall is anecdotal.
Why Is REM Sleep So Important?
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the final stage we experience in our nightly sleep cycles. It’s the stage where our brains tend to get most creative, consolidating our memories, sorting out our emotions, and scripting out our wildest dreams.
When most people talk about how THC and dreams interact, they’re often talking about REM suppression. Like we said, THC shortens the REM stage. Some studies suggest that high doses of THC may lead to fewer REM cycles, which may seem like a bad thing, but for those who suffer from ongoing nightmares, it can be a blessing.
Many studies that look at CBD and dreams note that it works more like a balancing act, supporting deeper non-REM (NREM) sleep, which may improve rest quality without impacting the dream state as much.
What Happens When You’re Dreaming While High?
Now, this is where things start to get interesting. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence out there (you probably even have some of your own) that dreaming while high is, well… complicated. Some people say they don’t dream at all, feeling like they slept for all of five minutes before waking up. Others feel like they have patchy, surreal dreams that stick with them all day.
It all comes down to how THC interacts with memory and REM regulation.
One thing some people experience is a phenomenon known as REM rebound, which occurs after they stop using THC for a while. This is when you suddenly start having dreams that are vivid, bizarre, and sometimes wildly unpleasant after taking a break from consumption. It stems from your brain trying to play catch-up on all of its missed REM cycles.
Why CBD Has a Unique Effect
CBD is different from THC in that it doesn’t bind directly to our brain’s cannabinoid receptors. Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t interact with our endocannabinoid system at all. It’s just a bit more subtle.
This subtle connection is part of the reason many studies suggest it reduces anxiety, lowers cortisol, and promotes restorative sleep.
Where the positive argument for CBD and dreams gets more compelling is when we start to look at its deep connection to sleep. According to a 2019 study, CBD improved sleep scores in over 66% of participants within the first month. Many of those participants reported having more memorable dreams, which is possibly due to the fact that they spent more time in deeper sleep and woke up fewer times throughout the night.
So, if dreaming while high feels too unpredictable for you, a gentler entry point to dream experimentation might be CBD.
Can Cannabis or CBD Cause Nightmares?
For most people, no. However, if you’re going through a tolerance break or you’re new to cannabis, dreams can get a little wild. When some people go through cannabis withdrawal, it can make their experience of dreaming while high much more emotionally intense.
On the other hand, fewer users report having nightmares while using CBD. However, if you begin to notice your dreams becoming too vivid or intense for your liking, it may help to experiment with different percentage blends.
Why Do Some Dreams Feel Deeper After Taking Edibles?
We’ve all been there before. You take a nighttime edible and wake up ten hours later feeling like you just crawled out of another dimension. Edibles hit differently, especially when it comes to THC and dreams.
Unlike smoking, the feeling of which tends to fade faster, edibles usually kick in slower and last much longer. Thanks to the deeper, prolonged interaction with your endocannabinoid system, an edible can impact your sleep much more than, let’s say, a preroll.
Experimenting with Cannabis and Dreams
Just like we’re all unique, so are our individual endocannabinoid systems. So, the relationship between CBD and dreams for one person may be completely different from yours. That doesn’t mean there’s any harm in experimenting!
Want to test it out for yourself? Check out our Sweet Dreams collection, which is a delicious lineup of edibles, gummies, and vapes that promote deeper sleep, without the next-morning grog.
