We’ve all had nightmares at some point. The agitation, the fear, the scenarios our own minds create and take us into. The problem is that for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), nightmares aren’t simply occasional bad dreams. They can become an endless loop that is desperately difficult to manage; a way of reliving that traumatic experience over and over again.
This month, a new study published in Nature Medicine found that a marijuana-derived medication greatly reduced nightmares in patients with PTSD. In more than a third of those who received the treatment, after ten weeks the nightmares had disappeared altogether.
Does this mean that smoking marijuana before bed is a new treatment for PTSD? No. Not even close. But the results do provide interesting evidence about something much more specific: the relationship between THC, sleep, dreams, and one of the most persistent manifestations of trauma.
What Is PTSD and Why Can It Cause Nightmares?
Post-traumatic stress disorder can appear after going through a traumatic experience. It is much more than simply remembering the terrible thing that happened; in some people, the brain continues reacting to that memory as though the danger were still present.
Possible symptoms include intrusive memories or flashbacks, avoidance of situations associated with the trauma, changes in mood, hypervigilance, sleep problems and, yes, recurring nightmares.
The latter are especially common in PTSD and can be part of what are known as re-experiencing symptoms: during sleep, elements, emotions, or sensations connected to what happened can resurface.
On top of that, a pretty cruel cycle can develop. A person has nightmares, starts becoming afraid of falling asleep, sleeps worse, and the sleep disruption can, in turn, make the condition even more difficult to manage.
That’s why, even though nightmares are one of the symptoms of …
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Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
