Sleep deprivation due to cannabis withdrawal

Hi.

I have been an on and off again chronic user since my early teens. While it's great for pain (I have a bad back), there is no doubt that over time with daily use the mind gets more and more clouded. I really enjoy reading and thinking, and the last 9 months of straight daily use really took it's toll. After a month clean, I am just now beginning to feel clear-headed again.

Have also had the weird, hyper-dreams others here report during this initial clean out time. I did want to pass on a tip to all my brothers and sisters giving this stuff up that are having a hard time getting a full night's sleep. Get a bottle of 5-Http and a bottle of Melatonin. Take 2-3 each an hour before bedtime and I guarantee that you will have a MUCH deeper and longer sleep. Adjust dosage as necessary (less as your system cleans itself out).

Peace, Love, and personal fulfillment to you All!

Mart

alright you people are ridiculous cannabis is nothing bad its illegal due to no taxes are made for the government people die from cigarettes and drinking more then murder and suicides but both drinking and smoking cigs are legal due to money if it was so bad it wouldn't be legal in parts of the world and it surely wouldn't be given out for sleeping insomnia or pain if it was that bad it is expected to be taken responsibly and with caution depending on peoples side effects but other then that its a perfectly legitimate way to treat some mental disorders

P.S god believers weed is a plant put on earth by who?

Hey All....

.....I am glad I am not alone. I am trying to give up after 16 years...so much has happened and I have had such wonderful times, yet there has become this dry monotany to smoking that I just started to hate. That was prbably around 13 years ago.

I suffer from episodic depression and I find when I am down the weed really helps lift the mood. However it is so addictive that I don't realise my depression has lifted and I still smoke even though I dont need it.

I did like what another user said, make a FIRM decision to quit by doing something tangably different... I threw my remaining weed, the pot I kept it in , and the bowl I used for doing buckets, in a [ublic bin as I was cycling to play football. When I put it in the bin it reminded me of when in the film The Matrix they use letterboxes to send messages to different parts of the real world via the matrix. This moment had a profound effect as that film is what I would term the sh*t, and I realised I was communicating with myself, telling myself that this time its serious. I have tried MANY times before.

So that was yesterday. I cannot sleep and I googled my way to this page, first one that came up. I still haven't gone to sleep and there is no way I am using more drugs just to get rest. When my body is ready the sleep will come.

So much has happened I cant say I regret having ever had this problem, my life has still been full and adventurous at times... I have loved, lost, had jobs long term, lost jobs through depression and boredom and wanting to play games whilst high instead of work.... I know I can be so much more. And if you are reading this from a similar position to mine then I know you can be more too.

Alan Watts says being intoxicated through life is like seeing the world through a haze, and I couldn't agree more. So do something dramatic with the weed you have left, something meaningful to you, throw away all the paraphenalia you have, get ready for a month or two of wierd and wonderful reality before your body re-aligns itself.... and be prepared for a better life, free of drugs. Don't let the anxiety win... and see a trained druh councellor if it gets too much. People are there for you.

Good luck to us all, whether quitting, trying to sleep, or trying to help.
Eddie x

I've been smoking weed for about 1 year now chronically everyday, i've even smoked 60 bongs in one day. But i'm giving up again 2nd time. The only problem I have is getting to sleep. I would not recommend anyone smoke weed.

Drugs are drugs, they are powerful even in small amounts and have serious effects. Ive decided to also give alcohol the flick for good, also not going to go out to bars or pubs, they are seedy places.

hi my partner is on the path of giving up weed he is doin soo well as its been nearly 2 weeks. the problem si hes not sleepin at all hes losing his mind Help

Hi i've been smoking marijuana over the last 5 years, a small stint compared to everyone else on here it seems, in the last 12 months however i've been smoking it REALLY heavily, close to a quarter every night, and the other day after a night out, and getting obliterated on booze/weed/etc I decided to give up everything, smoking, drugs, and drink (yes i know drink is a drug). I've just gone cold turkey, And as i write this it's 4:47 am, and im still wide awake, This lack of sleep is driving me insane! My head seems to be teeming with worries and im always stressed out, and this is only a few days in, does it get worse!? Because it's getting the point where i cant carry this sh*t on anymore, I've got exams and im showing up basically dead to them. Anyone know how to get to sleep easier?

Its a huge relief 2 come on here and read these comments! Im 21 and have had a cannibis problem for 6 years. Started off with a puff now and again but fot the last 4 years ive been smoking 3 grams of higrade a day, i decided it was time 2 give it up even tho i couldnt imagine my life without it. For the first 10 days i was tearing my hair out clucking 4 a bong but didnt give in. Now 3 weeks have passed and i hardly think about it, but sleeping at night is a major problem! I go 2 bed roughly around 12 and im still tossing and turning at 3-4 in the morning. Most nights i dont get into a deep enough sleep 2 dream but wen i do..man are they screwed up! Ive been takin natural sleeping medication but it doesnt touch me. I want to find somethin that will help but on the other hand i dont want to get hooked on that. At night i lay in bed thinking about going back 2 weed  because i know i will have a lovely sleep but the next day i forget about that, i also noticed my hands and legs are shaking alot but i dont know if that has anythin 2 so with the green as i havent seen anyone say about it? Now i realise the power of cannabis and will never touch it again. Wen ur using u ignore wat people say but wen u do give it up u realise that they are right. Anyone that says cannabis isnt addictive is talking bollocks and i didnt think u could withdraw from it but u certainly do! I will never relapse as i couldnt go through all this again i just hope things get better soon. On the up side i do feel great for giving it up and im spendin more time with my family rather than going out and gettin cained all the time, ive done more in the last 3 weeks than ive done for the passed 6 years and being clean has made me a happier person all in all. Thanks to anyone reading this and anyone thinking of using cannabis..its ok if u can contol it, but its easy 2 slip into a bad way without realising, its the hatdest thing ive ever had 2 do. BE CAREFUL!

Hi everyone, I am an addict! and the choice is weed.
I started smoking wen a was 13 in highscool And by 14 i was in 5th gear! smoking at least 1 ounce a week alone might i had.
Everything was good till i got into a car accident and everthing went downspital from there. The time of the accident i was 18
and by then i was smoking 1/4 pound a week ...

Started feeling anxiety but at the time i had no idea what was happening, could'nt speak fluently with clients like if there where to much thinking
not enough talking so i was forced to quite my job, went under the radar for a few years...
killing the pain from the accident, feelings about losing the job, losing confidence.
An this anxiety was taking up more and more space, creating fear, sens of hopelessness, nothing was worth my effort.

So around 23 i decided a was going to try this out ... being sober. Boy was i in for a threat... very bad one like the one's described on this page.
Day one felt weird but nothing to crazy, felt like i was high on something else but weed, also could not sleep ... but dint think much of it at first.
No appetite at all ... had to force feed my self little quantite as my stomach would not take anything heavy... only soup, yogurt,
milk, meal replacements supplements and oatmeal trying built the appetit back. Hard thing to do wen experiencing end of days panic attacks ! Thats what anxiety looked liked after some time. Became agoraphobic, could not go out the house more the 30 mins had to go back inside to the "safe place". Coud'nt stand it. Had to muster the courage to go out and get  help from a pro ! psychotherapist yay! not really this is an hour session and i can stand 30 mins outside the house!... But i did it! one day at a time.
He told me how to overcome anxiety and agoraphobia. Im not saying to is how you do it ... im only stating what i was taught.
And it work to some extent. ill explain why later...

1- agoraphobia scare of not being safe outside, or where there is alot of peeps those where my symtoms. (this came from car crash)
 Go outside and stay to longest you can stand. Everyday beat that time event if it for 20 secs ... This is the way i made it... im not saying it the right way, but this is  how i did it.

2- Anxiety, face it ... rationalyse yourself.
 Anxiety cannot kill you! so face it and it will subside after some time.  and till recently this worked fine.

3-Sleep, toke me 3 weeks before i had a full night sleep. Believe me ... everything changes wen you wake up after that first real night sleep.

4- Appetite, was back gradualy in the first month.

it been 8 years now and i felt great! No anxiety, no pot, no phobia what so ever.

Yep that right that was 2 month ago .

My name is Simon i am 32, today is day 5 again.

I learn some other way to cope with anxiety...
stop it in its track after some time practice.

-wen i feel an attack coming i start welcoming it like an old friend.
-demanding it to give me all it got.
-went it overcomed.. i welcome it for next time ... so i dont dread the moment.

my aim was not to scare... only trying to do my part, my wish is to spark hope for at least some of you.

Good luck to everyone out there we will make it.

p.s sorry for my spelling English is not my first language! and it 4:02 am because i cant sleep


 

I started smoking pot over a decade ago.  I have anxiety disorders, so you can imagine how awesome I felt when I found pot.  I remember I was hooked right away, even as a 15 year old.  I was crazy about weed from day one.  In high school, I started smoking every single day at about age 16.  Before that, I smoked about 3-4 days a week, sometimes every day.

Anyways, after over 6 years of daily use, I had to quit for court.  I had a very hard time, and even caved in after two months and smoked for a week.  The next week after I smoked, I got a call that they wanted me to drop some urine.  Well, I thought I was screwed, but I bought home kits, and was completely clean after 14 days, and they had me go in on day 15!  They never tested me again, but I was so scared they would, I didn't touch pot for the next 5 months.

I will note, when I couldn't smoke, I drank a 12 pack of budweiser about 5 days a week, for all those months.  But, I was at the age where that was ok to do, we were going to the bars alot.  I was miserable, because I don't like alcohol much.  My sleep was screwed up, but nothing too horrible.

This is where I stand now.  Since the 5 month break I HAD to take for court, it has been 6 years plus a month or so.  In those 6 years, I smoked pot all day every day.  I graduated college on the Dean's list 5 years ago and had an awesome job, so I never saw a reason to quit on my own.  In the last six years, I did not smoke for 3 days in 2006 (had to go out of town) and for one week in 2008 (met a girl who hated pot).  Aside from those 10 days, I have smoked every single day of those 6 years, morning til night.

I did quit cigarettes in 2006, and I honestly didn't mind, I just smoked blunts every day until the tobacco craving wore off, and I smoked cigs for 7 years.  I didn't love cigs though, I LOVE marijuana.  I can't use LOVED, because I admit, I still do love the herb, and always will.  Part of me thanks the herb for getting me through college with my severe anxiety disorders, but in the back of my head, I always wonder, maybe if I stopped smoking or never started, perhaps I would have grown out of my anxieties?  I won't ever know.

Here I am today, day 3 of no smoking.  I exercise A TON, like running 5-10 miles, etc.  I noticed it helps so much.  I just got back from exercising for two hours of intense cardio, and I feel great, but it's only day 3, anything can happen.  I got three hours of sleep last night.  The exercise should help me fall asleep tonight.

I think the reason I am not miserable about quitting is because it is time.  I will be 30 years old shortly, and I am still doing what I did when I was 15, only with more problems under my belt.  I think I am growing out of this.  I don't take any medications for my anxiety, so I am doing this all with exercise and some natural sleep aids, like teas.  It is time to FACE THE WORLD HEAD ON.  I want everyone to see the real me, not the stoned me.  I want to know what a sober mind and body feels like.  Truthfully, I am excited about quitting this time. 

I know I won't slip up, because in the past if I had it, I had to smoke it.  That is not the case now.  I am leaving my stuff packed away, and I plan to destroy my stash and pipes real soon.  I won't be smoking pot for a bit, hopefully at least a few years, maybe more.  A decade and a half under the clouds and now it's time to shine.  Please don't give up if you are trying to quit.  Please don't start smoking IF YOU HAVE MENTAL/ADDICTION PROBLEMS.  I know many mentally healthy people who smoke every day and feel awesome.  I, on the other hand, was smoking every day to mask a problem that certainly did not get fixed.  I would like to note, the marijuana NEVER made my mental disorders worse.  It doesn't cause mental problems, it causes intuitive thinking which, in some individuals, brings out the mental illness they were gonna get anyways.

I am still for marijuana legalization and for medicinal purposes, but it needs to be responsible use.  It needs to not have negative effects on socializing and friendships.  When these things start to happen, get ready for a hell of a road ahead of you.  Be careful everyone.

Smoked heavily for 16ish years, and am now somewhere around my fourth week of cold turkey abstinence (my awesome jar of hash ran out).  I have zero cravings for weed and really no problems of any sort during the day.  My problem is SLEEPLESSNESS.  Going to sleep isn't that tough but I reliably wake up 45 minutes to an hour after falling asleep.  I'm having very intense dreams (one night i was just being beaten and tortured by satanists who would foil my every escape attempt, I forced myself awake and then went back to sleep right into the same damn dream again), and waking often throughout the night.  I'm craving a good night's sleep and have yet to get one.  I'm assuming the sleeplessness will go away in time.  One thing that may be helping me during the day is reading.  I've been spending 5 or so hours a day reading fiction and that may be letting my brain get something similar to the "daydreams" it's used to from pot.  I think it might be possible that the reading has been helping quash the cravings (I've truly not had a single craving) and other waking withdrawal symptoms.  

i have been smoking weed for almost a year. Lately i haven't had the money to do it continuously as i have in the past. After about three days of not smoking I am no longer able to sleep. Any. Until I get more. It is a very serious concern for me, and I'm very unsure of what to do about it. I recently graduated high school as well, and i worked my ass off throughout to retain a 4.0. But now that I've started smoking, I have lost all of my ambition and general will to live. I don't have insurance or (like I said) money, so going to a doctor for help seems out of reach. I have been dealing with a serious anxiety problem for the majority of my life and have frequent panic attacks. This is all due to some really screwed up childhood trauma. I have tried a variety of anti depressants and anxiety medication, but none of them stuck enough to really help me. Until i found weed. Which allowed me to feel like I could breathe a little for the first time that I can remember. But the sleepless nights have me worrying a lot which isn't helping me sleep. lol. I am to afraid for my sanity to give it up completely, and feel as if I will never find happiness.   

Quote:i have been smoking weed for almost a year. Lately i haven't had the money to do it continuously as i have in the past. After about three days of not smoking I am no longer able to sleep. Any. Until I get more. It is a very serious concern for me, and I'm very unsure of what to do about it. I recently graduated high school as well, and i worked my ass off throughout to retain a 4.0. But now that I've started smoking, I have lost all of my ambition and general will to live. I don't have insurance or (like I said) money, so going to a doctor for help seems out of reach. I have been dealing with a serious anxiety problem for the majority of my life and have frequent panic attacks. This is all due to some really screwed up childhood trauma. I have tried a variety of anti depressants and anxiety medication, but none of them stuck enough to really help me. Until i found weed. Which allowed me to feel like I could breathe a little for the first time that I can remember. But the sleepless nights have me worrying a lot which isn't helping me sleep. lol. I am to afraid for my sanity to give it up completely, and feel as if I will never find happiness.   

This sounds alot like me, I've been smoking for the past three years heavily(Everyday). It wasn't until recently that I've developed a paranoia for smoking weed and just dont seem to enjoy the effects any more. I too have suffered extreme trauma as I struggled with the passing of my mother due to cancer just this year, which has caused even more anxiety for me. I've recently stopped smoking weed for about a little over a week now and boy this is hard.. My mind is constantly racing and thinking about random sh*t. I always think im going "Crazy" due to the amount of random thoughts that keep me awake at night. It's usually very hard to fall asleep, and if I do I usually wake up around 4-5 a.m. with restless thoughts once again that cause me to rise from bed. I've read many of these posts even from years past and well I can say we all have similar issues however my question is, "When will it stop?" I'm starting to think it's me thats causing my mind to race not the sudden lack of cannabis sativa/indica. ^^ As for your sake I'd advise quitting marijuana ASAP for heath and mental purposes. All in all I dont know what to do, and it seems as time is fading quickly.. :

Hey everyone 

Well folks, like many people here after a few sleepless nights (5 to be exact) and one google search later I arrived here.

I'm 29 and used to smoke daily in my early 20's. I stopped then due to paranoia, but I was taking lots of ecstasy, coke, excessive alcohol etc at the weekends which is really what was driving the paranoia. Anyway, I kinda slowly grew out of the weekend 'party perscriptions' but started drinking much more regularly when I was circa 24 and continued up until I was 27 (by regular I mean 20-25 days out of each month). Copped myself on and stopped the drinking (and gave up cigs the same time). About a month after I stopped drinking I started smoking weed again on and off, but the regularity grew and I've been smoking daily since.

I haven't been smoking cigarettes or drinking and I go the gym 3/4 times a week so the negaitve effects of the weed weren't that bad, for example I don't get the paranoia, I'm in great health, just get a bit lazy sometimes and tend to prefer chilling at home once I'm done with work and the gym. Anyway every few months if I was a bit tight for cash I would take a few days off and it was handy for clearing the head a bit as well. I never slept great when I stopped but was always back on it in a few days again anyway. This time I was planning a purge for the month of Jan as I was smoking loads in December especially over Christmas and also as I started going out with someone I really really like and despite smoking a bit herself does not really like the amount I smoke. After the last 5 nights of horror I have decided stay away from regular smoking as I've a good job and can't be going in wrecked all the time like this from lack of sleep, also the longer I stay smoking regular the worse it will get. Plus despite going to work tired I notice I've a bit more initiative and am less complexy about stupid things.

I'm going to the Netherlands end of Feb though so will defo smoke a bit then, but might try keeping it to just a few times a year as otherwise it's far to easy to get back into it.

Lots of people on here though have a lot of deeper issues and are blaming weed for their shortfallings in life. It's like they somehow bought into this weed is harmless rubbish that hippies spout. Weed physically does little harm, but it's a drug and psychologically it's clear it was never going to be great to be at it all the time. There are though millions of casual/social smokers out there who don't get carried away on it. For me it's just a case that the negative impact was minimal due to having an otherwise healthy life since I stopped drinking and smoking and I spun it to myself that weed was a lesser evil and I was in a better place than I was before (which I was). Now thought it's time for the next step and removing regular weed smoking from my life as I'll be 30 this year and probably about time I sorted myself out! :-)

For me the not smoking doesn't bother me at all after the first day or two it's just the lack of sleep, but good to hear from people here that it does pass, I've 5 night dones, it will be a few more weeks of bad sleep and the stress that goes with that and then I'll be grand, especially now that I have a rough idea of how long it will take. When I gave up drinking and smoking I felt like sh*t for a month so this will be similar! Did it that time so can do it this time.

Anyway, thanks for the posts people, some were very helpful, some of you have major issues and some of you are full of rubbish. I think what screwed many of you over is you started smoking to young before you had even matured and hence are kinda scared more heavily than someone like me who despite having had the odd joint as a teen never went to town on it til I was over 18.

best response ive heard in many posts ive read. i feel the same the way! i wake up feelin completely emotional exhausted.. emotions ive been supressing for years.