Can drug use affect dream recall?

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03-05-2008, 01:52 AM
Jerad

Can drug use affect dream recall?

I am not saying im a pothead, but later last year i tried marijuana like 3-4 times. i never plan to do it again, as i have no need for it and its illegal btw. well anyhow, can drug use permanently affect your dream recall to an extent? not saying im having any trouble now but i dont seem to recall a terrible amount of dreams and was worried it was tied to that.

**also**

I just wanna put out that i never plan to smoke pot again (or any drug for that matter) and i just hope that no-one thinks less of me for the mistake I made last year.
03-05-2008, 03:46 AM
Abra

Naw. Pot has few permanent affects (and even then, aren't they gradual, like those with alcohol?). You'll be fine. In the short term, it's known to diminish dream recall.

If you want to worry about long-term effects on dreaming, then talk about hallucinogens, especially those with flashbacks (LSD). Apparently, flashbacks can occur during dreams.

~And no, I have never taken drugs, with the exception of caffeine and sugar.
03-05-2008, 04:21 AM
pakistan

It very temporary, the effect wares off in 2-3 days with a REM rebound effect.
03-05-2008, 04:29 AM
Jerad

whats rem rebound?
03-05-2008, 04:50 AM
pakistan

marijuana represses REM sleep for most people. When you get off it, you get like a energized REM period, when you can get recall alot of dreams and sometimes very vivid. but thats only lasts a couple days.
03-05-2008, 05:16 AM
AnDUHrew

NAW. i don't think that drugs affect recall... not that i have any experience
03-05-2008, 05:21 AM
ninja9578

As for recall I can't recall ever seeing a noticeable difference in dream recall. Other elements of the dreams were different though. Alcohol made them slower, but more interesting, DXM (from cough syrup you narks :P) gave me really really strange dreams, it's the best part of getting sick.
03-05-2008, 08:30 AM
Universal Mind

Smoking pot one night a month would not cause me trouble, but a pot binge, which seems to be the inevitable result of my returns to pot, fogs my head up like shower steam on a bathroom mirror.
03-05-2008, 09:32 AM
durtykurty

From personal experience....

As a responsible adult who has chosen to smoke marijuana at times, I will say that is does affect recall. It may not happen if you smoke one night, however continued use over a longer period of time, i.e. weeks or months, seems to have an impact. This is a peculiar topic as I was just thinking back to my own times of prolonged usage. The times when I was smoking on a constant basis, I would still have dreams, however they were less frequent and subsequently harder to recall. Upon quitting most recently, I have noticed a significant increase in the amount and the ability to recall my dreams. I have often thought using marijuana did have an impact on dreaming, yet there is no scientific evidence to support the idea.

I fully understand that marijuana is an illegal substance, however I am a responsible, open-minded, free-willed adult who practices the usage in my own home. I believe that all drugs should be legal, but only for responsible adults.
03-05-2008, 03:09 PM
Jerad

Well im only 15 (was 14 when it happened), and i regret smoking pot to this day. it made my straight a grades drop significantly and i nver plan to get high again. itll prob happen again when im much older, but im avoiding it for the time being. maybe forever, cuz i always wanna remember my dreams. my dreams are on of my most prized possesions and they are very dear to me.
03-05-2008, 06:09 PM
NeAvO

Drugs tend to repress REM making you have little to no dreams or recall. A deffinate no when lucid dreaming is concerned. Mainly due to the fact that there's no point in trying to become aware in dreams when you can't remember them or have dreams :P
03-06-2008, 06:32 PM
Elite

I doubt it unless you smoke it all the time and then it would kill your brain cell which would make it hard to retain your dreams.
03-06-2008, 10:05 PM
ScroLL-X

Neither marijuana nor alcohol kill brain cells, and marijuana is actually shown to promote brain cell growth (neurogenesis). Marijuana does temporarily repress the REM stage of sleep, but it is still fully possible to lucid dream after a night of smoking. There are no known permanent effects of marijuana usage.
03-06-2008, 10:50 PM
Elite

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScroLL-X

Neither marijuana nor alcohol kill brain cells, and marijuana is actually shown to promote brain cell growth (neurogenesis). Marijuana does temporarily repress the REM stage of sleep, but it is still fully possible to lucid dream after a night of smoking. There are no known permanent effects of marijuana usage.

Yet.
03-07-2008, 12:37 AM
The Cusp

Alcohol can interfere with sleep. Probably the most commonly used sleep aid, alcohol causes a flurry of brain activity hours after drinking that can wake you up.

Tests on mice have shown that extacy destroys seratonin producing cells in the brain, which would interfere with sleep as well.
03-07-2008, 01:02 AM
Elite

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Cusp

Alcohol can interfere with sleep. Probably the most commonly used sleep aid, alcohol causes a flurry of brain activity hours after drinking that can wake you up.

Tests on mice have shown that extacy destroys seratonin producing cells in the brain, which would interfere with sleep as well.

That's why don't drink :goodjob2:
03-07-2008, 07:12 AM
sand

the pot you smoked has no effect on your dream recall. when you say 'i hope no one thinks less of me' i don't want to be offensive but that sappy regret guilty comment enrages me......:mad:....:blahblahblah: btw i smoke everyday and i can remember 1-5 dreams per day with great detail.
03-07-2008, 10:00 PM
AfterHours

Personal experience...many drugs

Marijuana: Every day for quite a few years, and it's basically like what durtykurty said: in moderation, or singular instances, it won't affect my dream recall. But every day over prolonged periods can wear it down slowly over time.

Alcohol: Horrible for dreaming, and I can confidently say one of the main reasons I don't drink so much is because of LDing. Alcohol cuts into and prevents (to degrees) your REM cycle, and will fuck up WBTB attempts as well for me. Heavy drinking will have you wake up early in the morning because of dehydration, but will NOT be conducive to a WBTB.

Mushrooms: Fell asleep while tripping once and had the most vivid, linear, non-lucid dream that has ever played out in my life, to this day. It read like a well written book, had a plot, and everything.

LSD: As to the person who said flashbacks have been known to occur in dreams, this hasn't happened to me - but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I've done over 50 hits or so in my life.

Xanax: Does not affect my dream recall at all.

Other than that, stimulants like Coke, Ecstasy and Speed will obviously make you not even want to sleep to begin with.

Downers like painkillers (oxycontin, hydrocodone, codeine) haven't affected my dream recall but they can keep you from getting to sleep as they give your body a bit of a euphoric, energetic buzz, despite being relaxed.

----

Those are all the IMMEDIATE affects on dream recall that I can attest to personally. If the OP is wondering about PERMANENT affects on dream recall, however, I'd say not to worry, as I've had extensive, prolonged experience with just about every drug available in both binges and moderation.

That said, drugs affect everybody differently. Doing marijuana 3 or 4 times in your life is absolutely nothing to worry about. I used to do it 3 or 4 times a day for 4 years straight, and I LD at will 90% of the time (I don't smoke now...).

In my opinion, it's the alcohol you have to watch out for, as it's so readily available and even small doses can cut dreaming out of the equation so easily it's not even funny (for me).