By Steven Voser Reviewed by: Carles Doménech


Millions of people across the world use cannabis, and many of them swear that, for them, weed is a super-effective natural nightcap. But how exactly does cannabis impact our sleep, and how does it interfere with our dreams? Read on for a deep dive into the effects of cannabis (and CBD) on sleeping and dreams.

Why Do We Dream?

Dreaming is a fascinating aspect of human psychology, and it’s still the topic of countless investigations, theses, and scientific studies. Most sleep experts agree that we still don’t really understand the actual function of dreams, but we do have theories. To understand them, however, we first need to understand how we sleep.

  • Understanding Human Sleep

Sleep and wakefulness are essential parts of our daily, or “circadian”, rhythm. Many things can influence our sleep–wake cycle, including environmental factors like lighting and noise, but also more profound internal issues such as stress.

The human sleep cycle is naturally divided into different stages: REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. The NREM stage can then be further divided into the following 3 stages:

- N1: This is the stage when we transition from wakefulness to sleep.

- N2: This is a transitional sleep stage, and happens when we pass from the stage of superficial sleep (N1) to deep sleep (N3 stage), or otherwise from the deep sleep stage (N3) to REM sleep or to the N1 stage.

 -N3: Also known as slow wave sleep (SWS), this is a deeper stage of NREM; it's also the most restorative, both mentally and physically. 

Humans can dream throughout any stage of sleep, but dreaming is most commonly associated with the REM stage of the cycle. Some estimates suggest that roughly 80% of dreaming occurs in the REM stage, despite the fact that we only spend about 20% of our sleeping time[1] in this stage.

NREM dreams tend to be about everyday things; REM dreams are more absurd[2], and also much easier to remember.

Understanding Human Sleep
  • Why Is Dreaming So Important?

While wrapping your head around how and why we sleep might seem pretty straightforward, understanding why we dream is a little more complex. And while we still have no conclusive understanding of the importance of dreaming, there are some leading theories that suggest it may be just as important for our health as a solid night of shut-eye.

In a recent article[3] for Greater Good, Matthew Walker, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, and director of the university’s Centre for Human Sleep Science, likens dreaming to “overnight therapy”.

“REM-sleep dreaming appears to take the painful sting out of difficult, even traumatic, emotional episodes experienced during the day, offering emotional resolution when you awake the next morning”, writes Prof. Walker.

His own research, as well as that of other investigators, has shown that several brain areas involving memory and emotions are active during REM sleep. At the same time, REM sleep is the stage when the brain presents less noradrenergic activity,

Walker’s research has also put these findings to the test. In one study, two groups of healthy young adults were shown a set of emotion-inducing images while inside an MRI scanner. They were then shown the images again 12 hours later, with one group seeing the images the same day, and the other seeing them after an evening of sleep.

Participants who slept before seeing the images a second time reported a significantly decreased emotional response. Their brain scans from the MRI supported this response; they showed significantly reduced reactions in the amygdala, one of the brain's areas most associated with emotions. The prefrontal cortex (responsible for rational reasoning) was also more engaged in these participants.

Moreover, the study tracked each participant’s sleep during the two sessions. As they slept, Prof. Walker and his team also registered specific brain activity that triggered a drop in stress-related brain chemistry during the participants’ dream state. Based on these findings, Prof. Walker and his investigative team believe that dreaming can help humans de-escalate their emotional reactivity and sensibility.

Similar studies[4] conducted on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have also produced similar results and conclusions. Meanwhile, other research conducted by Prof. Walker and the Centre for Human Sleep Science has shown that dreaming is extremely important for stimulating our creativity and problem-solving skills.

In one of his studies, Prof. Walker and his research team woke participants during both the NREM and dream stages of their sleep, and asked them to take short anagram tests; the goal was to unscramble a set of letters to form a word. When they woke participants during REM sleep, they were able to solve between 15 and 35% more tests than when woken during the NREM stage of the sleep cycle.

REM (20%)
calms emotional reactivity and sensibility
stimulates creativity and solving-problem skills
lower release of noradrenaline, a key anxiety-producing chemical

Enter Cannabis: How Does Weed Affect Dreaming?

So, now that we have a better understanding of how we sleep and why we might dream, let's take a look at how cannabis affects our dream cycle.

Many cannabis users report fewer dreams when regularly using cannabis. Then, when they abstain from weed, many experience an onset of very intense dreams. That’s because THC, the main intoxicating ingredient in cannabis, has been shown to suppress REM sleep.

A 2008 study[5] published in the journal Sleep suggests that heavy cannabis users spent less time in the REM stage of the sleep cycle than non-users. Now, given that the REM stage is when we do most of our dreaming, it seems possible that heavy cannabis users who get fewer hours of REM sleep would dream less.

But what exactly does that say about cannabis’ effect on sleep? Well, the answer depends.

THC
suppresses REM sleep
sleep-promoting effect
sleepy (sometimes moody) feeling in the morning
problem-sloving ability affected

Many people use cannabis as a sleeping aid, and studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system plays a key role[6] in regulating how well, and how long, we sleep. Anecdotal evidence from cannabis users with sleeping issues suggests that certain types of cannabis may impact the amount of time it takes us to autumn asleep (which sleep experts call “sleep latency”), as well as alter our behaviour when we wake up.

A 2004 study[7], for example, details the effects of different doses of THC, and THC + CBD, on the sleep–wake cycle of healthy young adults. The study found that THC may have a sleep-promoting effect, making it easier for participants to autumn asleep, but also leaving them feeling sleepy (and sometimes moody) in the morning—probably due the NREM stage suppression—as well as affecting their ability to complete certain problem-solving tasks.

The study also noted that participants given THC + CBD spent less time in stage 3 REM sleep. A larger dose of THC + CBD, however, had a certain waking effect, increasing awake activity during sleep and counteracting the residual soporific effects of higher THC doses. Therefore, whether cannabis has a negative or positive effect on sleep really comes down to the individual, other substances in the herb, and the concentration of cannabinoids they are using. So, initially, one may deduce that for someone who struggles to autumn or stay asleep, the sleep-promoting effects of THC may be beneficial. Someone who needs to be alert very early in the morning, on the other hand, could initially benefit from CBD-rich cannabis varieties instead. However, caution is always recommended.

CBD + THC
increases awake activity during sleep
counteracts residual soporific effects of higher THC doses
  • What’s REM Rebound?

When regular cannabis users abstain from weed, they often claim to experience a sudden onset of very vivid dreams. These symptoms then dissipate once they start using cannabis again. This may be due to a phenomenon sleep experts call “REM rebound”[8], and it’s basically your body catching up on the REM sleep it’s been missing.

REM rebound doesn’t just happen when we smoke cannabis; it also happens when we drink. Alcohol can reduce sleep latency and suppress REM sleep, much like weed. When you hit the hay after a night of drinking, you’ll autumn asleep faster and likely not dream for the first half of the night. Then, once your body has metabolised the alcohol in your system, you’ll experience REM rebound. This is why many people have strange dreams after a night of partying. 

  • Is It Good To Miss Out on Dreaming?

As we saw earlier, there are very solid reasons why you wouldn’t want to miss out on REM sleep. In fact, depriving someone of REM sleep can lead to mood problems, cognitive dysfunction, and even impact our liver function, according to research[9] by Jordan Tishler, President and CEO of the Association of Cannabis Specialists, and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. But, in some cases, suppressing REM sleep may actually be beneficial.

Experiencing severely traumatic incidents, such as acts of violence, severe accidents, or abuse, can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition marked by anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and a bunch of other mental health symptoms.

For people with PTSD, suppressing REM sleep may be very beneficial. Studies[10] have shown, for example, that people with PTSD often experience sleep disturbances, nightmares, and fragmented or interrupted REM sleep.

Other research suggests that this could be because people with PTSD produce the stress molecule noradrenaline during their REM sleep cycle. When treated with prazosin (a drug that inhibits the production of noradrenaline), for example, PTSD patients in this 2003 study[11] experienced fewer nightmares and PTSD-related sleep disturbances than those treated with a placebo.

Suppressing REM sleep using evidence-based medicines has also been studied[12] in relation to conditions like insomnia and nightmares among children/teens. Therefore, paying attention to what we already know, some cannabis derivates could be useful against PTSD; however, more investigations are still required.

What About CBD? How Does Cannabidiol Affect Dreams?

A wide variety of studies have looked at how cannabidiol might affect the human sleep cycle. The results are mixed, meaning we still don’t entirely know how CBD impacts sleep. This 2017 review[13] of cannabinoids and their effect on sleep, for example, argues that CBD may both increase and decrease the onset of REM sleep, depending on the dose.

While anecdotal evidence might not be considered as scientifically sound as clinical trials, many people find that taking CBD can alter the way they sleep, and the way they experience dreams. For example, many CBD users claim to experience more lucid and vivid dreams. Unfortunately, there’s not enough clinical evidence to provide us with a solid understanding of how CBD affects dreaming. 

  • Does CBD Cause Nightmares and Bad Dreams?

The results of some internet polls[14] suggest that certain CBD users experience bad dreams after taking the cannabinoid. However, the same poll also found that, for some, CBD can enhance vivid or lucid dreaming, or even completely suppress dreaming. Unfortunately, here too there is no solid answer to the question at hand.

The Grey Area of Cannabis and Dreams: What Does the Future Hold?

Unfortunately, like with most areas of cannabis research, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the effects of cannabis and CBD on sleep and dreams. As we saw in this post, both THC and CBD may affect REM sleep, either by promoting or inhibiting it. Both results could be beneficial, depending on the needs of the individual. Still, more and more information is finding its way to the surface, so we may soon see some major advancements regarding cannabinoids and sleep. Watch this space!

External Resources:
  1. Neuroscience for Kids - Sleep https://faculty.washington.edu
  2. Ultradian, Circadian, and SleepDependent Features of Dreaming http://www.dreamscience.ca
  3. Why Your Brain Needs to Dream | Greater Good https://greatergood.berkeley.edu
  4. Psychiatry Online http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org
  5. Sleep Disturbance in Heavy Marijuana Users https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Endocannabinoid Signaling Regulates Sleep Stability - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Effect of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on nocturnal sleep and early-morning behavior in young adults - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Strange but True: Less Sleep Means More Dreams - Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com
  9. Treating Insomnia and Sleep Disorders with Medical Marijuana https://inhalemd.com
  10. Sleep and REM sleep disturbance in the pathophysiology of PTSD: the role of extinction memory https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. Psychiatry Online http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org
  12. Prazosin in Children and Adolescents With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Have Nightmares: A Systematic Review - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature | SpringerLink https://link.springer.com
  14. A Potential Sleep Side Effect of CBD: CBD Nightmares https://futurism.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

Cookies settings

We are requesting your permission to use your data for the reasons stated below:

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data from a particular website that get stored on a user’s computer while they’re surfing the internet. Cookies have several different functions. Some of them track browser activity that enables businesses to deliver targeted advertisements. Other cookies serve to remember user login details to different websites to make jumping on social media, or other sites, a more fluid process. Because each cookie has its own unique ID, these pieces of data allow website owners to measure the unique traffic coming into their site.

Why do we use cookies?

Cookies come in handy when you visit our website. They ensure you stay logged in, that you can shop safely, and that the items you add to your cart stay there before you make a purchase. But cookies also help us. The data they provide allow us to improve our website and enable us to present you with targeted advertisements that are compatible with your interests.

What kind of cookies do we use?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

How can I disable or delete cookies?

Not a fan of cookies? No worries. You can disable them (with the exception of necessary cookies) in your browser settings. However, blocking cookies may impact your browsing experience and prevent you from enjoying all of the technical features of our site.

Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: