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Research found drinking even a small amount of alcohol before bed can adversely affect sleep quality. People who do not get enough REM sleep can experience emotional problems. (original.newsbreak.com)

submitted 9 months ago by Joleee@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world

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[-] turkalino@lemmy.yachts 21 points 9 months ago

Marijuana also hampers REM sleep, so daily smokers experience the same thing when they take a T break or get sober. I'd be interested to see a similar study for weed, especially since it's marketed as a sleep aid

[-] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago

I'm a generally habitual pot smoker who has long periods of sobriety due to switching jobs or a few times to support my wife during her pregnancies and I can say that without fail about a week after I stop cannabis I start having super intense dreams for about two weeks then normal dreams after that. When I go back to smoking, I stop dreaming after around a week of use. My sleep quality generally increases without cannabis but I do have ptsd associated nightmares, sweating, yelling etc. Cannabis completely stops my dreaming but I need like 9 or 10 hours of sleep to feel as rested as I do with 6 hrs sober.

[-] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 9 months ago

My husband uses weed for the same exact reason as you, and we've noticed this as well. He needs a few more hours of sleep to feel rested, but the fact that he is sleeping peacefully without the horrible nightmares makes me so happy. He tried so many different things for so many years, but getting his medical card has been a game changer.

[-] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago

Yes, and oddly enough in my husband's case, I feel like that's helped him immensely with his PTSD induced nightmares so much, with fewer nasty side effects than what he was taking before. His provider even mentioned that it would likely help with the dreams when she helped him get his medical card. Probably less than ideal for the general smoker, though!

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Yeah, I suffer with PTSD as well as chronic pain and fatigue and other issues, so good sleep has not been on my cards for a long while - I have trouble getting to sleep and don't sleep well when I do. Weed helps ease some of that which in itself makes sleep a little more attainable, as well as helping me get to sleep (and eat, and not sink too far in to dark places).
I'll take that trade off..

[-] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago

Exactly, and you shouldn't feel bad about it. In my opinion, it's a balancing act to achieve a better QoL. Ibuprofen has certain risks, but I damn well take one when I have a migraine!

[-] DessertStorms@kbin.social 4 points 9 months ago

Exactly.. And I don't feel bad but many others do and definitely shouldn't. Though I can't lie, headlines like these are frustrating, because I'm probably never going to have good sleep. Constantly learning about all the damage and extra risk lack of/bad sleep (or stress! 🙄🤦‍♀️) brings for so many other illnesses becomes old fast..

[-] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 9 months ago

I know what you mean, but sometimes you got to do the best you can for now. It's better than the alternative, right? And maybe a better alternative will come along.