If you smoke weed regularly in the evening and then stop, you often sleep badly at first: it takes a long time to fall asleep, the nights are restless and the dreams are strange. According to drugcom, sleep problems are among the most common withdrawal symptoms. They usually begin in the very first days without cannabis.
The reason lies in sleep itself. People who use regularly spend, on average, somewhat less time in REM sleep, the sleep phase with the most dreams. When cannabis is no longer taken, REM sleep probably increases considerably again. That is where the vivid dreams come from.
So does cannabis help you sleep? It tends not to. According to drugcom, a 2025 review of 18 studies concludes that cannabis “does not improve sleep quality, but rather worsens it”. People who used a lot more often slept less than six or more than nine hours and were more often tired during the day.
Most withdrawal symptoms subside after two to three weeks; sleep problems can last longer. According to drugcom, the strange dreams last up to 14 days for most people and more than a month for some.
What helps you fall asleep, according to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG):
- going to bed and getting up at about the same time every day
- using the bed only for sleeping
- getting up if you cannot fall asleep
- no alcohol, coffee or tea for four to six hours beforehand
- being active during the day, but no exercise right before going to sleep
- putting your phone and computer away a while before going to sleep
The evening ritual is often closely linked to smoking weed. According to drugcom, that is why it is not easy at first to wind down without a joint.
If you sleep badly on at least three nights a week for more than a month and your everyday life suffers as a result, this is called a sleep disorder. Then it makes sense to talk to your GP practice, because other physical or mental causes may also be behind it.
Remember: Poor sleep in the first weeks without cannabis is a sign of withdrawal and usually passes. If you can only fall asleep with cannabis, you should take a closer look.
More on this: What are withdrawal symptoms? · Taking a break · Finding help
Sources
- drugcom.de (BIÖG): Cannabis absetzen? Entzugserscheinungen & Symptome (feature, August 2023)
- drugcom.de (BIÖG): Einfluss von Cannabis auf das Träumen (3 April 2024)
- drugcom.de (BIÖG): Cannabis ist keine Hilfe bei Schlafproblemen (8 October 2025), on Costa et al. (2025), Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 47
- Bonnet, Preuss (2017): The cannabis withdrawal syndrome: current insights. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation 8
- IQWiG, gesundheitsinformation.de: Was tun bei Schlafproblemen? (as of 3 July 2024)
- IQWiG, gesundheitsinformation.de: Schlafprobleme und Schlafstörungen (Insomnie) (as of 3 July 2024)