Cannabis and sleep go great together. Here’s a few things you should keep in mind when using the herb to help you rest.

Marijuana can be a great tool for sleep. Just talk to any friend who smokes weed at night or who found themselves nodding off in the middle of a party because the herb they smoked was a little too relaxing.

Anecdotal evidence from people with varying degrees of insomnia shows how effective marijuana can be for sleep by helping users feel relaxed and allowing them to achieve hours of uninterrupted rest.

Despite marijuana’s powerful sleep inducing effects, it’s important to understand that the relationship between cannabis and sleep isn’t as clear cut as so many believe it is.

Here are 5 things you should keep in mind when using marijuana as a sleep aid:

Dosage

Dosage, along with your level of experience with marijuana, matters when it comes to using the herb before bed. If you smoke too little, you might feel no effects. If you smoke too much, you might find yourself tossing and turning with weed-induced paranoia. If it’s your first time using marijuana for sleep, try your best to create a relaxing environment and avoid overstimulating yourself with too much screen time or alcohol. Pace yourself with your marijuana intake and be aware of your body and its cues; that way you’re better equipped to jump into bed once it feels right.

Method of consumption

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The way in which you consume marijuana will affect how fast or intense your reaction will be. If you consume an edible, be sure to give your body a few hours to experience effects. If you’re vaping or smoking, there’s more control and less planning necessary.

The type of cannabis matters

Whether you’re consuming a product that’s THC or CBD based, or you’re consuming sativas or indicas, it’s important to know that all types of cannabis provide different effects. Indicas are the strains that tend to affect the body in relaxing and heavy ways, producing sleepy effects. Still, it doesn’t mean that a sativa strain or a hybrid won’t make you feel sleepy. Marijuana is a trial and error type of substance; try different options and keep track of what works for you and what doesn’t.

Marijuana hangovers

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If you’re not much of a night time marijuana consumer, the groggy feeling you might experience when you wake up can be puzzling. Although not as strong or common as regular hangovers, weed hangovers exist. Although not completely understood, these are more likely if you’ve been consuming low quality marijuana. To cope with them, be sure to drink lots of water, eat healthy goods and monitor your cannabis intake through the day.

Changes in sleep and dreams

One of the most noticeable effects that cannabis has on sleep is the lack of dreams. This is due to cannabis  limiting REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep where dreams are likely to occur. Scientific studies have found that REM sleep is important for learning and resting. There’s much we don’t understand when it comes to the relationship between cannabis and sleep. It’s important to monitor your marijuana usage and your sleep habits, especially if you feel like the sleep you’re having is not restful or good for you.