Rick said:
So if nothing at night then more REM sleep? So nothing at night makes me happier the next day? I wanna see a fucking test or something.
Or something...........
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teenage-mind/200906/marijuana-sleep-and-dreams
http://lucidguide.com/dream-articles/does-marijuana-affect-dreaming
http://brainposts.blogspot.com/2010/06/cocaine-cannabis-and-sleep-architecture.html
Ya might want to read the above links before tackling the wall-o-text below
____________________________________________________________________
Overview of the Sleep Cycle
Before exploring the effect of THC on sleep patterns, a brief review of the human sleep cycle may be helpful. Humans sleep in 5 different stages, differentiated primarily by brain wave patterns measured by electroencephalograph (EEG). Just prior to falling asleep, the typical person is in a relaxed state of consciousness characterized by alpha waves (a frequency of 8 to 12 waves per second). Just after falling asleep, phase 1 of the sleep cycle begins, during which brain activity is still fairly high but declining. Stage 2 is characterized by sleep spindles (12-to 14-Hz waves during a burst that lasts at least half a second) and K-complexes (sharp high-amplitude negative wave followed by a smaller, slower positive wave). The 3rd and 4th stages of sleep are known as slow-wave sleep (SWS). During SWS, heart rate, breathing rate, and brain activity slow down and the percentage of slow, large-amplitude waves increases. After stage 4, a person cycles back through stages 3 and 2. However, instead of returning to stage 1, the person enters a stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep (also known as paradoxical sleep) is characterized by irregular, low-voltage fast brain waves. Despite this considerable degree of brain activity, the postural muscles of the body are more relaxed than at any other stage of sleep. Dreams are more vivid, intricate, and somewhat more frequent during this stage of sleep. Short-memory is consolidated into long-term memory. Since muscles are most relaxed during REM sleep, the body is best able to repair cells, and this function is vital to the immune system (Farthing, 1992; Kalat, 2001).
THCs effect on SWS and REM sleep stages
Several studies have examined the effect of THC on SWS and REM sleep stages. In one of the earliest studies, rats injected with THC experienced induced bursts of polyspikes (on electrocortigram) just prior to stage 1 sleep. The polyspikes appeared again, overriding totally or partially the REM sleep stages (Masur & Khazan, 1970). Fujimori & Himwich (1973) found that THC caused a decrease in the number of REM sleep episodes in rabbits. By the third day of abstinence, the REM sleep cycle of the rabbits had returned to normal. Moreton & Davis (1973) measured the effect of THC on sleep cycles for both rats that were previously deprived of REM sleep and rats not REM-deprived, finding decreased SWS and REM sleep and increased wakefulness in rats injected with THC. Deniker, Ginestat, Etevenon, & Peron-Magnon (1975) found results verifying earlier research, with the added contribution of demonstrating that THC, when isolated from cannabis, has the same effect on sleep cycles as cannabis itself. The adverse impact of THC on SWS and REM sleep was noted in cats by Fairchild, Jenden, Mickey, & Yale (1979) and again in rats by Buonamici, Young, & Khazan (1982). Freemon (1982) conducted a study using two 23 and 25-year-old brothers, who slept in a laboratory for 27 nights and, following a 4 night break, 4 additional nights. THC administration and placebo administration was provided for both brothers alternately. The subjects experienced a decrease in SWS and REM sleep, and REM sleep had returned to normal about one week after abstinence from THC. However, it should be noted that the sample size for that study was very small. While examining the suspected anticonvulsant properties of 3 different cannabinoids on rats, Colasanti, Lindamood, & Craig (1982) found that both THC and delta-8-tetrahydracannibinol reduced REM sleep.
In the next decade of marijuana research, administration of THC was again found to decrease SWS and virtually eliminate REM stages in 11 cannabis nave subjects aged 21 to 25 years (Tassinari, Ambrosetto, Peraita-Adrado, & Gestaut, 1999). However, Nicholson, Turner, Stone, & Robson (2004) found no effect of THC on nocturnal sleep on the first night of administration, unless administered in combination with cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. Stage 3 sleep was decreased and wakefulness was increased in a group of 8 healthy 21-34-year-old subjects. However, THC administration by itself did reduce sleep latency on the 2nd day of administration.
Despite the research demonstrating THCs tendency to decrease SWS and REM stage sleep, there is no shortage of individuals who claim that cannabis actually improves human sleep. Such individuals have cited a few sporadic studies that seem to them to confirm this hypothesis. For example, THC ingestion was actually found to decrease measures of sleep apnea (a breathing disorder that decreases restfulness) in rats by polysomonography analysis. However, this study did not examine the impact of THC on SWS or REM stages (Carley, Paviovic, Janelidze, & Radulovacki, 2002). Although it is possible that THC is effective in treating sleep apnea, the research is limited, and this possible relationship does not say anything about sleep quality. Sleep latency has also been examined for administration of THC in combination with sedative substances. For example, THC has been found to prolong pentobarbitone-induced sleep (Paton &Pertwee, 1972; Siemens et al., 1974) and ethanol- and hexobarbital-induced sleep (McCoy, Brown, & Forney, 1978). However, once again, the effect of THC on SWS and REM stages was not explored. Cannabidnol has been demonstrated to significantly decrease wakefulness and decrease SWS without significantly modifying REM sleep time (Siemens, 1974; Monti, 1977; Tassinari, Ambrosetto, Peraita-Adrado, & Gestaut, 1999). However, cannabidiol should not be confused with THC. Cannabidiol is not psychoactive and does not produce a high, nor does it bind to cannabinoid receptor sites (Mechoulam, Parker, & Gallily, 2002). Delta-8-tetrahydracannabinol has been found to induce sedation, enhance 12-hertz burst activity, and decrease the number of REM sleep episodes, while lengthening each REM episode, suggesting clinically useful sedative-hypnotic properties of this cannabinoid (Wallach & Gershon, 2002). However, delta-8-tetrahydracannabinol should not be confused with delta-9-tetrahydracannabinol (THC). One study, however, has resulted in the conclusion that THC significantly stabilizes respiration during all sleep stages, thus minimizing the adverse symptoms of sleep apnea. The suspected mechanism for this effect was cited as THCs serotonin-inhibiting qualities (Carley, Paviovic, & Radulovacki, 2002). However, replications are needed to confirm these conclusions, and the possibility that THC stabilizes respiration does not say anything about sleep quality per se. Also, Rosenkrantz, Fleischman, & Grant (1981) have found that that THC actually caused dyspnea (breathing discomfort or significant breathlessness), among other health complications, in rhesus monkeys, adding some controversy to the equation. Page (1983), while conducting a correlational study on amotivational syndrome in marijuana users, did not find a difference in sleep EEG patterns between marijuana users and non-users in his Costa Rican sample. However, this does not appear to be a well-controlled experiment.
Other Effects of THC on Sleep
The combination of THC ingestion, stress, and REM deprivation has been shown to result in increased aggression in rats (Carlini, Lindsey, & Tufik, 1971; Carlini, 1977). In addition to adversely effecting SWS and REM cycles, withdrawal from THC use also appears to contribute to sleep problems. The 8 subjects in a study summarized in the preceding section experienced reduced sleep latency and changes in mood the day after THC ingestion (Nicholson, Turner, Stone, & Robson, 2004). Two subjects in the study conducted by Freemon (1982), summarized in the preceding section, experienced difficulty falling and staying asleep for the first 2 nights following a switch from THC ingestion to placebo ingestion. This 2 day effect was also noted in the rats used by Colasanti, Lindamood, & Craig (1982) in the study noted in the previous section. Difficulty falling and staying asleep and restlessness was noted in 3 studies a few days after abstinence for both people who smoked marijuana and orally ingested THC (Budney, Moore, Vandrey, & Hughes, 2003; Haney et al., 1998a; Haney et al., 1998b). In addition to being commonly cited as a symptom of cannabis withdrawal, sleep disturbance and insomnia are often listed as an effect of long-term cannabis use (e.g. Beers, 2003; FADAA, 2001; Falkowski, 2000; Gold, 1989; Inaba & Cohen, 2003).
Discussion
The bulk of research in this area has demonstrated that THC has a negative impact on sleep quality both during use and during withdrawal, although much of it is outdated (1970s and 1980s) and more recent research is needed. Adolescence and early adulthood are regarded as periods of intense change. For some, these changes include transition to college, establishing a career, and independent living (Santrock, 1999). Young adults, especially students, often do not get adequate sleep. College students who report less sleep tend to not be as satisfied with life (Kelly, 2004). Stress, a lack of sleep, and substance abuse can lead to other problems for college students, including depression (Voelker, 2004). Given THCs adverse impact on sleep quality, it can be concluded that avoidance of THC use would be an advantage for young adults.
?
