Dream Team: Does CBD or Cannabis Affect Our Dreams?

Assuming an average 80-year lifespan in Australia, we spend about 26 of those years sleeping. That’s nearly a third of our lives! It gets even more mind blowing, though: an additional seven years is spent trying to get to sleep. Crazy, right?! Add that up, and 33 years out of 80 is not much under half of our lives spent in bed!

It’s probably of little surprise, then, that many of our customers, in fact, buy our CBD oil products online to help with either maintaining or falling asleep. (It may then be possible to claw a few of those seven years back!)

But human bodies have evolved over millennia, so while these 33 years might sound like wasted time, evolution has shown that sleep is really important.

There have long been numerous scientific studies that prove how vital this resting phase is for health, and those studies often include dreams. In them we process what we have experienced, and some are even of the opinion that they are necessary for survival. 

Often, though, you hear of stories from regular cannabis users about how they stop dreaming. This seems odd, right? The hemp plant and the products obtained from it are actually known for restful sleep! So, does regular cannabis prevent dreaming? And what about non-psychoactive CBD? Let’s find out!

Why Do We Dream, Anyway?

Before we answer the question of whether CBD oil products online actually have an impact on our dreams, let’s first find out why we dream at all. In fact, to this day – despite numerous studies – this is not exactly known. But more on that later, let’s get into the facts first. Our sleep is divided into 3 phases:

• Superficial (or light) sleep: Not that much happens in this phase –except that we slowly doze off. 
• REM sleep: Now things get interesting, because the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep phase is the start of the dreamland. We can also partially remember dreams from this phase. 
• Deep sleep: As beautiful as dreams can be, this is where our body recovers in terms of cellular repairs. In this phase we do not move in dream worlds. In fact, in this phase, we do not move at all!

Cannabis Means No More Dreams?

This is something you often hear, as we’ve said before. But is this really true? In fact, according to a 2008 study, the THC in cannabis may suppress REM sleep, but also prolongs deep sleep. 

Another 2008 study by the magazine ‘Sleep’ examined the sleep behaviour of cannabis users. They found that regular cannabis users spend less time in the REM phase of their sleep cycle than non-users, but they still experienced REM cycles (dreaming).

However, some studies prove just the opposite! This may relate to the strain of cannabis being consumed, individual physiological or psychological factors, and more. Until more studies come, there is nothing else to do but rely on the testimonials from consumers. 

So, the assumption that cannabis prevents dreams is not scientifically proven, at least for the time being. 

Do CBD Oil Products Online Mean No More Dreams?

But what about CBD, which is also from our favourite green plant, hemp? One thing is clear: to lump cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) together would be fundamentally wrong. Even if both products come from the same source, they have totally different properties and effects.

The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published a study on the effects of CBD on insomnia. Participants received various doses of CBD, a placebo, or nitrazepam, an anti-anxiety chemically produced drug. Subjects with the highest dose of CBD slept best, but all cannabidiol testers were able to remember their dreams significantly less. 

During our research on the Internet, we come across a wide variety of opinions in forums: while some report much more vivid dreams, many cannot even remember them. Many of our customers swear by the positive effects on their sleep quality. However, ultimately, without more clinical scientific evidence, it’s hard to make definitive statements. 

Final Thoughts

From the research above, it seems that cannabis including THC would seem to impact dream cycles by supressing them to some degree. At the same time, it appears that CBD may not suppress the dream/sleep cycle, but simply make it harder to remember the dreams we have.

If you purchase CBD oil products online, drop a line in the comments and share your experience! Just make sure whatever you’re buying is premium quality. You can tell by making sure the retailer openly shares an independent laboratory’s certificate of analysis, testing for potency and purity, like we do here.

And as always, be sure to check with your health professional before trying any new supplements or products. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to email us and ask away here.