There are certain topics that inevitably come up when my friend group gets together– books we’re reading, what we’re binging on Netflix, the newest restaurants that we want to try. But for some reason, someone will always bring up the topic of sleep. To be clear, the topic is not really “sleep”. It’s the fact that we are not sleeping and we’re pretty sure it’s not just us. As a society, we are not well rested.
It's about being tired all day only to get under the covers to be wide awake for hours. Or it’s the falling right to sleep minutes after jumping into bed only to be wide awake from 3 am to 5 am, falling back asleep minutes before that egregious morning alarm. And let’s not forget the haze of a day that you live through after each restless night and the cortisol raging through your body. If you’re continuing to read on, you likely know what I’m talking about.
Personally, I’ve become obsessed with sleep, or rather, ensuring that I get enough quality sleep so that I can perform my best at work, be there for my loved ones, and, of course, have killer workouts. Sleep for me is the Holy Grail and I seek it relentlessly.
So, the search has brought me everywhere. Have I tried sleeping pills? For sure. And they often had me waking up in all different states of which I’ll spare you the details. I found them to be not only highly unreliable but I overall had concerns about putting prescription drugs in my body when it was not a matter of life or death.
And there’s alcohol. For me, a few glasses of wine can mean immediate sleep but, as you know, alcohol contains sugar. I’ve found this sleep method to be the best way to be wide awake at 2 am overthinking everything. And I mean everything.
Enter cannabis. I’m no scientist, so I’m not sure of the how or the why, but on the nights when I take a dose, I sleep. It’s an added bonus that I wake up rested without that groggy feeling I found with prescription sleeping pills. I forgot to mention the most important part – I sleep for the whole night.
I’ve tailored my nightly cannabis experience to what my body and mind is telling me that I need that evening, choosing between one of two methods: edibles/tinctures or vaping. For evenings when I want to relax and read a book or meditate a bit before falling asleep, I’ll choose an edible or tincture, knowing that I have about a half hour before the effects kick in and I drift off.
On nights when I need immediate sleep, I often vape. These are typically days in which my mind is “busy’ – preoccupied with work and I’m having trouble shutting it off. I wait until everyone has gone to bed and take a moment to myself, turning the moment into a mental exercise. With every inhale and exhale, I picture letting the day go with the vapor trailing up into the oven hood vent (don’t judge me for vaping over the stove, this is real life and I live in a city, not a spa).
When we encounter sleep issues, there’s a tendency to accept it as “that’s just how it is”. I encourage you to fight against complacency. We all deserve to feel our best - so try an edible, smoke a joint. Talk through the process with friends. It may take some time to find the ritual that works best for you, but be patient – you’re worth the wait.
Sleep well, Friends.
Author: Molly Lamb