How Cannabis Affects Sleep

How cannabis affects sleep is a rather popular topic, which for good reason has many people fascinated. It goes without saying, there is nothing quite like having a good night’s sleep and what could be better than securing that satisfaction naturally!

Cannabis has been used ubiquitously as a sleeping aid for decades in many different cultures and locations worldwide. Smoking, eating, drinking and vaping are all common delivery methods for ingestion, with a larger portion of modern cannabis users showing preference towards vaping or eating.

So by now, I’m sure that you’re wondering if this actually works, or if it is just a really good excuse to get a nice buzz before bed, right? In short, YES, it totally works!!!

In this post, I aim to walk you through some of the core concepts that I have learned and even experienced over the years. I hope to clear up some uncertainty and reveal some of the essential constructs to keep in mind when consuming cannabis to help improve quality of sleep.

Take note: Everybody is different. This is NOT medical advice. This information is intended purely as educational trivia for you to satisfy your thirst for knowledge. If you are experiencing a medical issue, then it is best that you consult with a qualified medical practitioner.

Different Subspecies Of Cannabis

Much like with different strains, one can expect diverse experiences with each subspecies of cannabis! Yes, indeed… This is a pretty big deal, especially when it comes down to toking towards a good night’s sleep!

Let’s check out some of the main factors for each subspecies real quick:

Indica

Cannabis Indica is a short, bushy plant which tends to carry higher volumes of CBD in relation to other subspecies. As a result, Cannabis Indica often causes what is referred to as “couch-lock”, making it a phenomenal choice as a sleeping aid.

If you need to remember this, try keep in mind: Indica kind of sounds like in-da-couch… lol 🙂

Sativa

Cannabis Sativa is sort of like the polar opposite of Cannabis Indica. If left to its devices, Sativa plants will grow tall and skinny, often offering a higher dose of THC in comparison to the other cannabis subspecies. The CBD content of Sativa plants is also often lower in relation. With this said, Cannabis Sativa makes for a great “day time smoke”!

Not quite the best option as a sleeping aid, but this can also depend on how the plant was grown. If harvested later than usual, one might then find that there is more CBD present in the plant, affording the consumer a better opportunity for a good night’s sleep.

Ruderalis

Cannabis Ruderalis is a pretty weird plant, at-least as far as “conventional cannabis” goes. It is significantly smaller than both Sativa and Indica, producing much smaller yields as a result. There is also very little THC present in Cannabis Ruderalis, however, a reasonable amount of CBD can be acquired for medical purposes if the right extraction methods.

Over time, cultivators have managed to cross breed Ruderalis strains succesfuly with both Indica strains and Sativa strains (even hybrids), essentially with the goal in mind to increase the yield as well as the THC content.

Cannabis Ruderalis also does not abide by typical “photoperiod” rules, in fact, instead of relying on the detection of seasonal changes it has its own sort of ‘inbuilt timer’ that starts ticking the moment after successful germination. When this ‘timer’ reaches it’s end-point it will essentially force the Ruderalis plant to flower, no matter what the light cycles are doing… This is where the ever-popular “autoflowering” cannabis strains originated from.

I could go on for ages about each subspecies, but for the sake of keeping this article tight, I figured it would be best to dedicate a separate post for this topic, so keep your eye out for it. That said, let’s keep this momentum going here…

Different Cannabis Strains

It is also important to note that different cannabis strains within each subspecies boast different effects based on the THC and CBD content levels as-well-as the ratio of the two.

Some strains are able to produce high levels of THC while producing less CBD, offering the consumer a more elevated high, mostly cranial, with little to no “body buzz” or “couch lock”. These strains make for good day time smoking, when you don’t want your energy levels to be negatively affected.

On the other hand, some strains have been specially bred over time to produce mostly CBD with lower levels of THC. This is fantastic for medical purposes, as the patients typically don’t get as “high” as they would if consuming a strain more bias towards THC production. These strains are renowned to be excellent sleeping aids, providing the consumer with pain relief, tension relieve, anxiety relieve, and more!

Personally, I do prefer a little bit of THC with my “nighttime smoke”… I find that the slight buzz helps my mind to drift off while my body relaxes into rest-mode. This truly is a personal preference, so, it is up to you to do some research to determine which strain would be best for you.

Summing Up

Deciding which cannabis subspecies and strain is best for you when it comes to improving your quality of sleep:

Which Cannabis Subspecies Work The Best As A Sleeping Aid?
In almost all cases, the best subspecies for aiding sleep will be Cannabis Indica, given its famous capacity to produce CBD content which is often much more significant than the Sativa and Ruderalis subspecies’.

Which Cannabis Strains Work The Best As A Sleeping Aid?
This is a bit of a tough one to summarise, given the sheer amount of cannabis strains that are available. What I can say is that you should start by looking for an Indica-dominant cannabis strain which boasts a higher than average CBD content rating.

Overall, it is a great idea to begin building a rapport with a trustworthy cannabis seed vendor or seed bank. Genetics are very important when it comes to growing cannabis for selective purposes and as such, it is paramount that you can trust your source to provide you with good, accurate genetics.

If you don’t plan on rearing plants from seed, then a cannabis consultant would be your next best bet. These homies will grow your bud for you and often have an extensive knowledge base related to different strains and their potential effects 🙂

Thanks for reading; I hope you have an excellent night’s sleep tonight! Peace…