The science of sleep: an ephemeral paradise. Colors, flashes, digressions, backdrops, and shapes. Raw intensity. Dreams within dreams. There’s an architecture in the arms of Morpheus. And for frequent cannabis smokers, a joint can act as the great conciliator. Light up, smoke, and drift off.
But, but, but: what happens to sleep when regular pot smokers stop using it? Does anything change? Do dreams become more intense? Do nightmares surface? Are there alterations within the dream phenomenon? Does something reset and return us to square one?
“It’s likely that cannabis slightly alters the REM phase and the sleep phase, possibly leading to fewer dreams,” according to Diego Golombek, biologist and expert in chronobiology, the science that studies the biological rhythms of living beings. In short: the “REM phase” is the stage of sleep characterized by intense brain activity, similar to wakefulness, and is where most vivid dreams occur.
However, there is little scientific evidence on this. But some certainties, deductions, or hints are emerging. “Any pharmacologically induced sleep, in the long term, worsens the quality of sleep. It causes us to wake up more often and alters the architecture of sleep itself,” Golombek continues.
Indeed, cannabis can improve sleep; especially for those with chronic conditions such as pain, PTSD, or parasomnias. “There is scientific evidence that confirms that people do sleep a little better with cannabis. But it depends on the type of cannabis and the specific strain. Therefore, pharmacologically, it’s impossible to work with something so variable,” explains the specialist.
Specifically, cannabinoids increase the activity of circuits that promote sleep. There is a neurotransmitter called adenosine that promotes sleep and is precisely the one that caffeine blocks. That’s why caffeine “wakes you up,” and cannabinoids increase the effects of adenosine, which causes sedation and promotes …
Read More
Author: Hernán Panessi / High Times
