The short answer is yes, marijuana does cause insomnia. Understanding how marijuana does cause this insomniac state is the more important factor. Studies have concluded that marijuana exacerbates sleep disturbances that ultimately lead to insomnia.
Full Answer
No clear evidence either way
The study analyzed use of marijuana for sleep among 21,729 adults between the ages of 20 and 59. The data was gathered by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and is considered representative of over 146 million Americans.
Confounding factors
Still, people continue to believe that weed is helping their sleep. Surveys of marijuana users show they do indeed rely on the drug for better sleep.
Why is it important to be cautious when using cannabis?
Amanda Winn Lee of “A Mom’s Guide to Cannabis” says people under the age of 25 should exercise extreme caution when using cannabis because a young adult’s brain is still growing and neural development is still occurring.
How long does it take for a puff of cannabis to take effect?
Inhaled cannabis can take 10 to 15 minutes to take effect. “You can take a whole lot of puffs in that time,” Tishler said. “Restraint is a good policy.”. But for users under the age of 25, restraint is the best policy. Many health officials have changed the antiquated “Just Say No” campaign to “Delay, Delay, Delay.”.
Does vaping make you high?
A recent study determined that vaping cannabis can produce a significantly stronger high than smoking the drug. Researchers suggest people trying marijuana for the first time build up a tolerance to the drug before vaping it.
Is vaping a good way to consume cannabis?
Vaping has become a popular way for people to consume cannabis. In this manner, the cannabis is housed in a thin, pen-like device. It’s less odorous and more discreet than smoking. Many users also find it much less irritating on their throats than traditional smoking.
Is there a fatal overdose on cannabis?
While a fatal overdose on cannabis has yet to occur , the major risk to any casual cannabis user is overintoxication, which is directly tied to dose, Tishler said.
Does THC affect reaction time?
But no matter the dose, researchers in this small double-blind placebo trial found that no matter the amount of THC, those who vaped marijuana reported more powerful effects, including serious impairment in their reaction time and overall cognitive abilities.
Does marijuana affect your heart rate?
Jessie Gill, the registered nurse behind MarijuanaMommy.com, says in the beginning cannabis can affect the heart a lot like exercise — a patient’s heart rate and blood pressure may increase.
How Does Marijuana Cause Insomnia or Sleep Disturbances?
Some studies find a definite correlation between higher cannabis use and higher rates of anxiety. Again, many use cannabis as a means to treat anxiety. However, some reports find that, while marijuana use may alleviate some areas, it exacerbates others.
Marijuana-Induced Repercussions of Deprived REM
Marijuana effects on REM bear both short-term and long-term domino effects on your health. Learning the health consequences of REM deprivation can help you learn the severity of the effects of cannabis use.
More Severe Health Problems
Continuous marijuana abuse has a negative domino effect on your body. Marijuana-induced loss of REM places you at high risk for heart and cardiovascular-related health issues. Some research further connects deprived REM with a greater risk of numerous cancers.
Is Marijuana Addicting?
Many people deny the possibility of becoming addicted to or dependent on marijuana. Even your own peers and family may claim that it is not possible to develop a marijuana dependency. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
What is Cannabis Use Disorder?
Cannabis or marijuana use disorder is defined as the development of withdrawal symptoms as a result of prolonged use. These symptoms arise after a period of time of non-use. The onset of these symptoms varies by individual from within a few hours or days of refrained usage.
Symptoms of Cannabis Use Disorder
Inhibited Sleeping Patterns: The most common theme and symptom brought on by marijuana in both use and refrained usage is its disruptive nature to our sleep cycle. Shortly after quitting, many deepen their marijuana abuse because of the developed sleep issues acquired through withdrawal symptoms.
How Do You Endure Withdrawal Symptoms?
From sleep disturbances to behavioral and mental withdrawals, your greatest aid in recovery is to never do it alone. The suggestions below are vital first steps in your recovery.
How many people experience insomnia after smoking marijuana?
According to a study done by NIDA in Baltimore on marijuana withdrawals, almost 51% of their subjects experienced sleeping issues including insomnia. About 49% experienced insomnia alone.
What happens if you smoke for a long time?
History of Use: Probably the most obvious, if you’ve been smoking for a very long time you are probably going to experience withdrawal symptoms.
How to counteract insomnia?
How to Counter Insomnia 1 Use A Sleep Aid: There are plenty of over-the-counter options for sleeping pills that may help. However, sometimes taking a medication isn’t the best method for a recovering marijuana addict. Instead you might want to try a natural sleep aid like liquid melatonin. Melatonin is non-addictive and quite effective. 2 Start Exercising Daily: Exercising is probably the last thing you feel like doing when you’re going through withdrawals but it can be incredibly helpful overall. Exercising is a highly recommended tool for people going through any type of withdrawal period from an addiction. It is especially helpful for people with insomnia to start exercising every day. Just be sure you don’t exercise too close to bedtime since your workout might actually energize you for the first few hours afterwards. 3 Turn Your Bedroom Into a Sleep-Only Zone: We’ve all been guilty of lounging in bed while on the computer or watching TV. This might sound crazy but doing these things can actually train our bodies that lying in bed doesn’t mean sleep. It can be difficult at first but you need to stop the habit of using your bedroom as a hangout area and only use your bed to sleep or sex.
How long does it take for insomnia to go away?
Those who were heavy users for a long period of time may take up to a month before sleep issues are completely gone. For those of you currently going through insomnia or other sleep-related withdrawal symptoms, don’t give up.
Why is insomnia so difficult to deal with?
Prolonged insomnia makes the withdrawal process much more difficult because it can cause or exacerbate other health issues like general fatigue/lethargy, delayed reaction times , irritability, high blood pressure and mental health issues (depression and anxiety primarily).
How to help a recovering marijuana addict?
Use A Sleep Aid: There are plenty of over-the-counter options for sleeping pills that may help. However, sometimes taking a medication isn’t the best method for a recovering marijuana addict. Instead you might want to try a natural sleep aid like liquid melatonin. Melatonin is non-addictive and quite effective.
How long do you have to be on weed to get withdrawals?
Generally you should expect to experience some withdrawal symptoms if you’ve been using marijuana regularly for 6 months or more. If you’ve been a heavy user for a number of years you are much more likely to experience stronger withdrawals. However, refrain from predicting what you’re going to experience since this can cause a more severe reaction just from your anxiety alone.
Why is vaping bad for you?
This is partially because many e-liquids contain propylene glycol, a chemical compound that is known to dry out and irritate these tissues. This is why vaping is associated with sore throats as well.
Why does vaping make my snoring worse?
The dryness and irritation of the upper airway that is caused by vaping is another source of airway resistance that can also worsen snoring.
What is vaping e-liquid?
Vaping involves the use of flavored e-liquids, vaporized and smoked like a cigarette. The nicotine levels are lower than the levels in tobacco, and the e-liquids do not contain the same carcinogens that tobacco contains.
What is the effect of vaping on the airway?
Vaping as a habit can cause a phenomenon called airway resistance when done over time. This means the airway is stiffer and more resistant to the flow of air from the body in and out of the lungs.
How to stop snoring?
Using a device that can help prevent snoring will help. For example, the ZQuiet mandibular adjustment device is specially designed to realign the jaw to prevent snoring, which means you spend more time in rapid eye movement sleep and less time lying in bed restless or experiencing low quality sleep.
Can you use e-liquid with nicotine?
The problem is exacerbated if you tend to use e-liquids with higher concentrations of nicotine.
Is nicotine a stimulant?
It is what keeps users coming back to these products time and time again. Nicotine is a stimulant, meaning that it activates and increases your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and more.
How many people have died from vaping?
The health impacts of vaping have come under greater scrutiny recently — at least four people have died in the U.S. and 450 have fallen ill with acute lung disease that could be related to vaping, as CNN reports. According to a new study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, using e-cigarettes could affect your health in less serious ways, too: specifically, vaping could negatively affect your sleep.
What is the difference between vaping and smoking?
One difference between vapers and smokers? The participants who vaped used more sleep medication than those who smoked combustible cigarettes. That could be because e-cigarettes are easier to use, the researchers theorised, explaining, "regular users of e‐cigarettes may be able to use their devices more frequently due to ease and convenience of use and decreased likelihood of being impacted by campus smoking bans."
Does smoking cigarettes affect sleep?
As the study authors noted, it's already widely accepted that smoking regular cigarettes can affect your sleep. Prior studies have found smokers experience an increase in sleep onset latency (the time it takes to progress from fully awake to fully asleep), a decrease in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and a decrease in the amount of time spent sleeping altogether. The researchers' question: does vaping have a similar effect?
Does vaping affect sleep?
Still, it's an important start to understanding how vaping could impact your sleep — and your health more broadly — lead author Emma I. Brett of Oklahoma State said in a press release. "Given that poor sleep and substance use, including e-cigarette use, are both common among college students, understanding how e-cigarette use may impact sleep is crucial given its association with numerous health concerns," Brett said. "Since we found that even nondaily use of e-cigarettes was associated with worse sleep health, this may be a useful target for prevention and intervention efforts."