There’s nothing worse than struggling to get to sleep, then feeling worn out and unable to focus the following day. Poor sleep can lead to problems with blood pressure, driving ability, communication skills and general mood. Nobody wants to feel like that day after day, especially if they mainly use weed to help them relax and nod off. Hearing about the negative effects quitting weed can have on sleep can make quitting a scary prospect, but it pays to learn more about it rather than relying on scare stories and rumours. There are also many other withdrawal symptoms when quitting weed – read the full guide with a timeline on which types of symptoms you may face when stopping. This article will talk about whether sleep is affected by quitting weed.

What is insomnia?

There are all kinds of annoying things that come under the umbrella of insomnia. You may find it difficult to drop off, or fall asleep easily but struggle to stay that way. Or your sleep may be fine for a few hours then you wake up and just lie there for hours checking the clock every few minutes. Anyone can suffer from insomnia, and for those withdrawing from marijuana use, the chances of falling victim to it are pretty high. Long or Short term cannabis users can often build up a reliance on the drug, especially when taken at night to sleep. Insomnia is a very common side effect for users that used the drug later in the day.

How long does insomnia last after quitting weed?

Insomnia can treat individuals in different ways, some may see side effects lasting a couple of days after withdrawal, some may even say symtoms lasting for a couple of months dependant on the severity of the cannabis addiction. There are, however, ways to regulate your sleeping patterns which we will talk about later in this article.

The risk of trouble with sleeping after quitting marijuana

Current research pegs this figure at around 50-50 for insomnia, plus in some cases, there may be other sleep issues like vivid dreams or nightmares thrown into the mix. Of course, not everyone who stops smoking weed experiences sleep problems, but the following factors make it more likely.

• Older people have a much higher chance of insomnia
• A heavy smoking habit, ex, more than once daily
• A long term weed smoking history – using for months or years
• Pre-existing tendencies towards depression or anxiety

Why does quitting weed mess with your sleeping pattern?

The most obvious way is anxiety triggered by the general withdrawal process. This makes sleeping difficult, which in turn makes insomnia more likely. Another big problem is that the THC in weed interferes with normal sleep patterns, causing users to actually get too relaxed while sleeping. No wonder so many people make strong associations between smoking weed and good sleep, or find they have problems getting to sleep after quitting.

Struggling with sleep problems is the most common reason people fail to give up weed, so being prepared before deciding to quit is vital. While younger, light and short term weed smokers may be able to escape the perils of sleep problems after they stop, other simply need to go with it, and allow their brain time to adjust to a new way of functioning. The good news is that the worst of these sleep disturbances should pass in a few days, or definitely by two weeks has passed for previously heavy weed smokers.

Treatment options for Night Sweats

There are many different ways forward if you are struggling with weed insomnia. I personally learned to quit weed from a course that I joined in 2016 and it included a wide range of ways to detox naturally and deal with insomnia. One of the biggest things I learned was to get a steady sleeping pattern and regulate your bodies cardiac rhythm, getting yourself into a more regular schedule – this should eventually help things pass. If your insomnia is serious (like mine was), you’ll need to look into solutions like detoxing. Don’t worry though – I talk about a wide range of the best products to use on my blog.