You're staring at the ceiling. It’s 3:15 AM. You stopped smoking weed now I can’t sleep, and honestly, it feels like your brain has forgotten how to shut off. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. You probably thought quitting would make you feel like a high-performance athlete by day one, but instead, you're a zombie nursing a lukewarm chamomile tea and wondering if you'll ever hit REM sleep again.
Here is the truth: cannabis withdrawal is real. For years, people claimed weed wasn't addictive, but anyone who has tried to quit cold turkey after a long-term habit knows that's a lie. Your endocannabinoid system is currently throwing a massive tantrum because the external supply of THC has vanished.
Why your brain won't shut up
When you consume THC regularly, your brain decides it doesn't need to produce as many of its own natural cannabinoids. It gets lazy. Specifically, it downregulates CB1 receptors in the central nervous system. These receptors are heavily involved in regulating your sleep-wake cycle.
According to Dr. Kevin Hill, an addiction psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, sleep disturbance is actually the most common symptom of cannabis withdrawal. It’s not just in your head. Well, it is in your head, but it’s a physiological reality.
THC is famous for suppressing REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This is why many daily smokers don't dream, or at least don't remember them. Once you stop, your brain tries to make up for lost time. It’s called REM rebound. Your dreams become vivid, intense, and sometimes borderline terrifying. This intense brain activity during sleep can actually wake you up or make the sleep you do get feel unrefreshing.
The timeline of the "Toss and Turn"
Don't expect this to fix itself in forty-eight hours.
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Usually, the first three days are the absolute worst. This is the peak of irritability and physical restlessness. By day seven, you might start catching a few hours here and there, but the sleep architecture is still messy. A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews suggests that these disturbances can linger for several weeks, depending on how heavy your usage was.
The first 72 hours
This is the "sweat it out" phase. You might experience night sweats so bad you have to change your sheets. Your body is essentially recalibrating its internal thermostat. It’s miserable. You'll feel tired but wired.
Week two
The "weird dream" phase. This is when REM rebound hits full stride. You might feel like you’re living an entire cinematic trilogy every time you close your eyes for twenty minutes. It’s exhausting, but it’s a sign your brain is healing.
One month in
For most people, sleep starts to stabilize here. You'll notice you're waking up feeling "lighter" in the head—that morning brain fog associated with being a "stoner" finally begins to lift.
Things that actually help (and some that don't)
You've probably considered reaching for a bottle of wine or some over-the-counter sleep aids. Be careful. Swapping one dependency for another is a slippery slope, especially with alcohol, which actually destroys sleep quality even worse than weed does.
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Exercise is your best friend. But timing matters. If you run a 5k at 9:00 PM, the cortisol spike will keep you awake even longer. Hit the gym or go for a long walk in the morning or early afternoon. You need to physically exhaust your body to convince your brain it’s time to crash.
Temperature control. Keep your bedroom cold. Like, colder than you think. Around 65°F (18°C) is the sweet spot for human sleep. Since your body’s thermoregulation is wonky from the withdrawal, a cold room helps induce the natural drop in core temperature needed for sleep.
Magnesium glycinate. Many people find that a magnesium supplement helps relax the muscles and calm the nervous system. It’s not a sedative, but it can take the edge off the "crawling skin" feeling that comes with quitting.
The trap of the "just one hit" mentality
It’s tempting. You’re at day four, you’re exhausted, and you think, if I just take one hit, I’ll sleep tonight and start fresh tomorrow. Don't do it.
That one hit resets the clock on your CB1 receptor recovery. You’re essentially teasing your brain with the substance it’s trying to learn to live without. The only way out is through. If you've stopped smoking weed now I can’t sleep, you have to accept that you're going to be tired for a little while. It’s a debt you’re paying back to your body.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
If you find that even after a month you’re still struggling, it might not just be the weed anymore. You may have developed psychophysiological insomnia. This is when you start associating your bed with the stress of not being able to sleep.
Experts like those at the Mayo Clinic often recommend CBT-I. It involves techniques like stimulus control—getting out of bed if you haven't fallen asleep in 20 minutes—and sleep restriction. It sounds counterintuitive to spend less time in bed when you’re tired, but it forces your "sleep drive" to build up until your brain has no choice but to pass out.
Real talk on Melatonin
People love to suggest melatonin. Use it sparingly. Your body produces it naturally, and flooding your system with high doses can sometimes lead to more grogginess or even crazier dreams during the REM rebound phase. If you use it, stick to low doses—0.5mg to 1mg is often more effective than the massive 10mg pills sold in drugstores.
What to do right now
If you are reading this in the middle of the night because you stopped smoking weed now I can’t sleep, stop scrolling. The blue light from your phone is telling your brain it’s daytime, suppressing whatever natural melatonin you have left.
- Get out of bed. Go sit in a chair in another room with dim lighting.
- Read a physical book. Something slightly boring. No thrillers.
- Write it down. If your mind is racing with all the things you need to do or the reasons you're stressed, dump them onto a piece of paper.
- Try a warm bath. The drop in body temperature after you get out of the tub signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.
- Lower your expectations. Accept that tomorrow might be a "coffee day." Once you stop panicking about being awake, you're actually more likely to drift off.
The path to natural sleep is rarely a straight line. You've spent a long time using a chemical shortcut to knock yourself out; give your brain the grace and time it needs to remember how to do its job on its own. It will happen. Just not tonight as fast as you'd like.