Cannabis and Sleep

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Cannabis and Sleep
Cholthon Klingosum
24388067
MCELLBI C62
Keven Laboy Cannabis and Sleep Cannabis, popularized by its dried and leafy counterpart called marijuana, has been used for thousands of years in various regions of the world ranging from Asia to South America for its psychoactive and medicinal properties. It has become a popular recreational drug all over the world, second only to alcohol. It is believed that “over 100 million Americans have tried Cannabis, with 25 million Americans having used it within the past year” (Norml 2013). The main chemicals in Cannabis are cannabinoids which activate the cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system. The primary cannabinoids responsible for the characteristic effects of marijuana are THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is primarily liable for the effects of relaxation, euphoria, shift in perception, and increased anxiety or paranoia. In addition to the commonly known side effects, one interesting consequence of using marijuana is its effects on sleeping behavior and quality of sleep.
Even though many marijuana users self-report having an easier time going to sleep and having a more fulfilling rest after consumption of marijuana via smoking, researches have indicated that marijuana has the opposite effect. Marijuana actually decreases sleep quality as opposed to increasing it and further leads to disturbances in sleep patterns. Abnormal sleep patterns caused by marijuana may remain up to five days after initial use and normal sleep patterns may not return until at least one week has passed. If used chronically, sleep has shown to be disturbed on an ongoing basis unless, even if user faced long term abstinence. The usage of Cannabis also leads to a unstable sleeping behaviours during the night and users generally experience less REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep and SWS, or slow wave sleep (Washington

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