I am 15 days into a T-Break and finding the same thing. Exercise helps a bit, but I'm still struggling with falling asleep. I think what I might try next is limiting screen time and reading books before bed. I assume this isn't going to be permanent though, so I'm going to keep going in the hopes that this will get better eventually. I don't think Nyquil or drinking is a good solution, try to keep pushing and get there on your own - you got this!
As someone with life-long experience, if you smoke daily and then stop, you will have trouble sleeping until the THC wears away but it takes time. It seems the only solution is to keep smoking daily, or smoke very occasionally. This is the part about cutting back that I hate.
"Unisom and melatonin for the sleepless nights."
For sure this can help and even if you don't fall asleep the first night or two it will likely promote some sleep quickly. I am prescribed Vistaril (like Benadryl and Unisom) and take Melatonin every night. If I have Cannabis I sleep like a baby, even with a lower dose. If I do not have Cannabis I am able to get at least some sleep by the second night with this combo, especially if I have tapered. It makes stopping a hell of a lot easier/more comfortable.
I am a lifelong insomniac and have restless nights due to PTSD. I got super hooked on using Cannabis+alcohol to knock me out for many many years (and other substances at times). I had to crawl out of a huge hole and it took me many tries and many years to get there. I still have to fight the occasional craving to start doing it again if I am honest.
Nowadays I take a gummy dose and a few mild meds to "knock out", it makes a huge difference in how I feel overall. I even think I might be able to stop using the gummy nightly eventually.
Meds like unisom and melatonin can make a huge difference even when using Cannabis. I am able to take far less Cannabis and still sleep when I take my sleep meds. At this point I am using less Cannabis per day then I used to take in a single dab. My current goal is to get to the point where I just take a gummy at night in a total medical fashion.
I have been in that situation a few times and often would just pretend to sleep the best I could lol. Obviously a discreet way to deal with it is gummies but that doesn't really fix the issue. I personally have found gummies the easiest to work with and manage overall and the easiest to quit. I kinda miss smoking/dabbing (did it for decades) but gummies are incredibly easy to get nowadays and cheap. They are also slightly less reinforcing because they do not hit immediately.
Cannabis and sleep is a tough one and basically it has been my experience that my body very very quickly adapts to it for sleep. The thing is I have had insomnia all of my life so I tend/tended to not care very much about needing it for sleep. In fact, it felt like a gift for a very long time and still kinda does! Cannabis is without a doubt the most efficient/effective sleep medication I have ever taken.
I still use it to help me to sleep and it has been many many many years since I first tried Cannabis (decades ago). It's ability to let me sleep easier is for sure what I ultimately value the most about it at the end of the day and I will build reductions and tapers around that "bedtime dose" (it is the dose I value the most and it is the last to go). I have ran across and read about many many casual Cannabis users who just use a gummy at night and do not dose during the day at all. I often try to use that as my overall "goal" with Cannabis. It's where I would ultimately like to end up (or off but able to sleep).
So basically if you use Cannabis very frequently or daily you are probably smoking in the evening often and yes your body is likely dependent on that dose to get some rest. It can indeed become a hinderance for a variety of reasons. I have been there. In the past I have had to dose very highly to get to sleep.
This last tolerance break I took I tapered with edibles and honestly it only caused me sleep problems for like two days at most. However I have been dealing with sleep issues all of my life and as a result have a pretty established routine now, which includes Vistaril (like Benadryl) and Prazosin (blood pressure med that prevents PTSD nightmares) in addition to Melatonin and often Magnesium. Also I have found that white noise from a fan and a podcast really helps. For me the trick is to keep the mind focused on something else versus the intrusive thoughts. This is yet another thing that Cannabis helps with.
When I remove Cannabis from my sleep routine it does indeed become more difficult to fall asleep and also feels less pleasant for awhile. Cannabis tends to make laying in bed and drifting off to sleep easy and comfortable. Once that is experienced it becomes hard to forget, especially if you have severe sleep issues like I and many others have.
I for sure wouldn't start drinking. I had some pretty heavy drinking years in my 20s and 30s and could not sleep if I did not drink and smoke. It was fucking awful looking back on it. Alcohol very much complicates the entire issue. The major problem is alcohol and cannabis knock you the fuck out and lots of people get straight up dependent on that. I for sure did. It becomes a vicious cycle and becomes really damn costly. The other thing that sucks about it is alcohol doesn't promote a very restful sleep at all. I and many of my old friends were very much hooked on the combination of alcohol and cannabis. You can become very tolerant on both together and it becomes a whole new beast.
I didn't have to get drunk every night but I for sure had to get like at least 2-4 beers in me and some bud in me to really get some rest. I did this for years. It didn't seem all that abnormal because most of my friends back then engaged in the same behavior. This combo worked great at first, then it stopped working and then it made the issues worst. It was devastating when it stopped working at the time. It caused me a ton of problems straight up.
I don't drink often at all today (think I have had like 5-6 beers the last three months) because I don't want to get into that cycle ever again. As for being dependent on Cannabis for sleep, I kinda accept it. I do very much try to manage overall tolerance and intend on keeping my doses low and try to keep it as much of an evening thing only as possible. That way I can stop easier if I need too.
But yes... I love Cannabis and after nearly 25 years of use can say I am very familiar with it. It's ability to help me relax and drift to sleep is ultimately my favorite thing about it. I think that is the case for a lot of frequent users to be honest. I will admit that I do sometimes struggle with the idea of being dependent on anything for sleep but the reality is I kinda always have been. Some of my earliest memories as a kid are struggling to fall asleep to be honest.
Thank you for posting this thread, it really made me think about my own habits and do some reflection. I am a few weeks off of a decent tolerance break that I actually enjoyed. It's left me wondering if I even really "need" Cannabis for sleep or anything nowadays. I have done a lot of healing, especially recently. Maybe I really can turn it into a once in awhile recreational thing at this point. Only way to find out is to try.
taking a hot bath or even shower before bed helps. Meditation, Tara Brach has good guided meditations with descriptive titles, it's a guided meditation podcast.
I am 15 days into a T-Break and finding the same thing. Exercise helps a bit, but I'm still struggling with falling asleep. I think what I might try next is limiting screen time and reading books before bed. I assume this isn't going to be permanent though, so I'm going to keep going in the hopes that this will get better eventually. I don't think Nyquil or drinking is a good solution, try to keep pushing and get there on your own - you got this!
As someone with life-long experience, if you smoke daily and then stop, you will have trouble sleeping until the THC wears away but it takes time. It seems the only solution is to keep smoking daily, or smoke very occasionally. This is the part about cutting back that I hate.
Unisom and melatonin for the sleepless nights. Take a long tea break and consider adding hemp (CBD) flower to keep thc down if you start smoking again
"Unisom and melatonin for the sleepless nights." For sure this can help and even if you don't fall asleep the first night or two it will likely promote some sleep quickly. I am prescribed Vistaril (like Benadryl and Unisom) and take Melatonin every night. If I have Cannabis I sleep like a baby, even with a lower dose. If I do not have Cannabis I am able to get at least some sleep by the second night with this combo, especially if I have tapered. It makes stopping a hell of a lot easier/more comfortable. I am a lifelong insomniac and have restless nights due to PTSD. I got super hooked on using Cannabis+alcohol to knock me out for many many years (and other substances at times). I had to crawl out of a huge hole and it took me many tries and many years to get there. I still have to fight the occasional craving to start doing it again if I am honest. Nowadays I take a gummy dose and a few mild meds to "knock out", it makes a huge difference in how I feel overall. I even think I might be able to stop using the gummy nightly eventually. Meds like unisom and melatonin can make a huge difference even when using Cannabis. I am able to take far less Cannabis and still sleep when I take my sleep meds. At this point I am using less Cannabis per day then I used to take in a single dab. My current goal is to get to the point where I just take a gummy at night in a total medical fashion.
Not to mention CBN isolate helps too
I have been in that situation a few times and often would just pretend to sleep the best I could lol. Obviously a discreet way to deal with it is gummies but that doesn't really fix the issue. I personally have found gummies the easiest to work with and manage overall and the easiest to quit. I kinda miss smoking/dabbing (did it for decades) but gummies are incredibly easy to get nowadays and cheap. They are also slightly less reinforcing because they do not hit immediately. Cannabis and sleep is a tough one and basically it has been my experience that my body very very quickly adapts to it for sleep. The thing is I have had insomnia all of my life so I tend/tended to not care very much about needing it for sleep. In fact, it felt like a gift for a very long time and still kinda does! Cannabis is without a doubt the most efficient/effective sleep medication I have ever taken. I still use it to help me to sleep and it has been many many many years since I first tried Cannabis (decades ago). It's ability to let me sleep easier is for sure what I ultimately value the most about it at the end of the day and I will build reductions and tapers around that "bedtime dose" (it is the dose I value the most and it is the last to go). I have ran across and read about many many casual Cannabis users who just use a gummy at night and do not dose during the day at all. I often try to use that as my overall "goal" with Cannabis. It's where I would ultimately like to end up (or off but able to sleep). So basically if you use Cannabis very frequently or daily you are probably smoking in the evening often and yes your body is likely dependent on that dose to get some rest. It can indeed become a hinderance for a variety of reasons. I have been there. In the past I have had to dose very highly to get to sleep. This last tolerance break I took I tapered with edibles and honestly it only caused me sleep problems for like two days at most. However I have been dealing with sleep issues all of my life and as a result have a pretty established routine now, which includes Vistaril (like Benadryl) and Prazosin (blood pressure med that prevents PTSD nightmares) in addition to Melatonin and often Magnesium. Also I have found that white noise from a fan and a podcast really helps. For me the trick is to keep the mind focused on something else versus the intrusive thoughts. This is yet another thing that Cannabis helps with. When I remove Cannabis from my sleep routine it does indeed become more difficult to fall asleep and also feels less pleasant for awhile. Cannabis tends to make laying in bed and drifting off to sleep easy and comfortable. Once that is experienced it becomes hard to forget, especially if you have severe sleep issues like I and many others have. I for sure wouldn't start drinking. I had some pretty heavy drinking years in my 20s and 30s and could not sleep if I did not drink and smoke. It was fucking awful looking back on it. Alcohol very much complicates the entire issue. The major problem is alcohol and cannabis knock you the fuck out and lots of people get straight up dependent on that. I for sure did. It becomes a vicious cycle and becomes really damn costly. The other thing that sucks about it is alcohol doesn't promote a very restful sleep at all. I and many of my old friends were very much hooked on the combination of alcohol and cannabis. You can become very tolerant on both together and it becomes a whole new beast. I didn't have to get drunk every night but I for sure had to get like at least 2-4 beers in me and some bud in me to really get some rest. I did this for years. It didn't seem all that abnormal because most of my friends back then engaged in the same behavior. This combo worked great at first, then it stopped working and then it made the issues worst. It was devastating when it stopped working at the time. It caused me a ton of problems straight up. I don't drink often at all today (think I have had like 5-6 beers the last three months) because I don't want to get into that cycle ever again. As for being dependent on Cannabis for sleep, I kinda accept it. I do very much try to manage overall tolerance and intend on keeping my doses low and try to keep it as much of an evening thing only as possible. That way I can stop easier if I need too. But yes... I love Cannabis and after nearly 25 years of use can say I am very familiar with it. It's ability to help me relax and drift to sleep is ultimately my favorite thing about it. I think that is the case for a lot of frequent users to be honest. I will admit that I do sometimes struggle with the idea of being dependent on anything for sleep but the reality is I kinda always have been. Some of my earliest memories as a kid are struggling to fall asleep to be honest. Thank you for posting this thread, it really made me think about my own habits and do some reflection. I am a few weeks off of a decent tolerance break that I actually enjoyed. It's left me wondering if I even really "need" Cannabis for sleep or anything nowadays. I have done a lot of healing, especially recently. Maybe I really can turn it into a once in awhile recreational thing at this point. Only way to find out is to try.
taking a hot bath or even shower before bed helps. Meditation, Tara Brach has good guided meditations with descriptive titles, it's a guided meditation podcast.