Regular Marijuana User? Your Sleep Is Worsening

There is a lack of sleep for marijuana users

It is no surprise that drugs of any type can impact your sleep. Whether they make you sleep too much or too little, poor sleep quality and poor sleep habits are bad for your health. A new study published this week in a BMJ journal claims that regular marijuana use can negatively impact your sleep. If you are a regular marijuana user, keep reading to learn more about how your sleep may be worsening, more negative impacts of marijuana, and how to overcome marijuana use with the help of luxury drug rehab in Malibu.

The Link Between Marijuana and Sleep Quality

According to a report on the study by CNN, the use of marijuana may actually harm sleep. The research, published Monday in a BMJ journal, revealed adults who use weed 20 or more days during the last month were 64% more likely to sleep less than six hours a night and 76% more likely to sleep longer than nine hours a night. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines optimal sleep for adults as seven to eight hours a night.

The study also found that moderate consumption — using weed less than 20 days during the past month — didn’t create short sleep problems, but people were 47% more likely to snooze nine or more hours a night.

“Large population-based studies show that both short sleep and long sleep are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the long-term progression of things like atherosclerosis, diabetes, coronary artery disease and any of the major cardiovascular diseases,” said lead study author Calvin Diep, who is resident in the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Toronto.

The Vicious Cycle of Marijuana and Sleep

Many people rely on marijuana to get them to sleep and use it as an aid against their insomnia. According to The Sleep Foundation, marijuana may alter your sleep architecture, a term that describes how long you spend in the different sleep stages. Short-term cannabis use appears to increase the time you spend in deep sleep, the stage that helps you wake up feeling refreshed. However, THC decreases the amount of time you spend in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep when you spend more time dreaming, processing emotions, and cementing new memories.

As marijuana negatively impacts sleep quality, users may believe that they need to use more marijuana in order to sleep better. While marijuana may help people on a short-term basis, regular marijuana use will cause a vicious, never-ending cycle that can lead to many more negative health impacts.

More Negative Impacts of Marijuana

Marijuana has been shown to be an effective aid for many health ailments. However, just like with any drug or treatment, there can be adverse side effects. These include the negative impacts that marijuana can have on your health. The CDC reports the following negative impacts:

  • Addiction
  • Brain health
  • Cancer
  • Heart health
  • Lunch health
  • Mental health, including anxiety disorders and depression
  • Chronic pain
  • Poisoning
  • Dangers to pregnancy and driving
  • Increased risk of using other drugs
  • Stunted brain growth and issues with emotional and behavioral development in teenagers

How to Overcome Marijuana Use

As a regular marijuana user, the only way to achieve better sleep quality is to quit smoking marijuana. If you or someone you love is starting to realize that marijuana is starting to impact their life negatively, there is help available. Quitting cold turkey may be possible for some; however, if addiction has already taken hold, getting treatment for marijuana use is the ideal solution for lasting, long-term sobriety.

Treatment with Seasons in Malibu

Quitting marijuana in order to get your health on track isn’t always as easy as it sounds. If you are unable to slow or stop use, are hiding your use from family and friends, or marijuana is starting to cause adverse consequences; otherwise, we are here for you. Through medicated-assisted detox, evidence-based therapy, holistic therapy, and attention to service and detail, our luxury drug rehab in Malibu can help you.

Treatment at Seasons in Malibu is systemic, integrative, and client-centered. We work to address and help your underlying issues and why you use marijuana. We are also expertly trained in overcoming co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD, and more. Whenever practical, we try to include close loved ones in sessions and in the entire process of recovering from addiction and/or addressing mental health issues.

It is a priority for us that our life-changing drug and alcohol treatment be available to those who need it. We are thoroughly familiar with the strength and courage it takes to pick up the phone and ask for help. Our counselors are invested in your well-being and are ready around the clock to guide you or a trusted friend or family member through the initial steps of overcoming drug or alcohol addiction.

With our outstanding team of clinicians, we can succinctly pinpoint those areas of focus that will give the client the most advanced opportunity for success. Our approach towards healing is collaborative, comprehensive, and committed.

For more information on our luxury drug rehab in Malibu and to learn more about overcoming drugs and alcohol, visit seasonsmalibu.com.