We sleep in stages with 90-minute cycles. REM sleep- when we dream- is a light stage. Deep sleep is physically restorative; REM sleep is mentally restorative.

THC, like alcohol, brings people to deep stage sleep quicker. That is why people feel like cannabis helps them fall asleep. But THC holds people in deep sleep all night. Physically, this is fairly restorative. The problem is that THC disrupts REM sleep. Since THC holds people in a deep stage- and REM happens in light stage- REM cycles get skipped.

If you smoke nightly, you go into REM rebound and you dream early and inefficiently. Many people who get high before bed think that they do not dream. When starting a t-break, you may experience vivid dreams: that’s you coming out of REM disruption. It will settle soon.

REM disruption caused by cannabis likely impacts your daytime as well. The top 3 effects of REM deprivation are 1) irritability, 2) anxiety, and 3) feeling tired. These are the same things that many students and professionals report getting in the way of success.

People often describe feeling less “cloudy” when they take a break. That is due to better sleep and REM. Perhaps you are feeling these positive effects too.