Last updated on January 11th, 2021
Melatonin is a naturally produced substance that helps us get to sleep at night, maintain regular sleep-wake cycles, and even adjust to changing seasons. It’s an amazing hormone, and it’s available in supplement form for those who need it.
Marijuana is a natural substance that many people smoke or ingest to enjoy a high sensation or to relax. It’s perhaps the most popular drug in the world, and many people use weed regularly.
But is mixing melatonin and marijuana safe? Are there any health risks when someone starts mixing melatonin and weed?
There’s much to know about how these substances interact with one another, both when melatonin is produced naturally and when someone chooses to take it as a supplement. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about melatonin and weed, as well as how they interact with one another.
Melatonin and Weed: Effect Enhancer?
Marijuana enthusiasts are always experimenting to find what they like and what delivers their perfect high. The definition of a perfect high varies from person to person, and it also might vary based on the day, the time or the occasion.
But some users of both marijuana and melatonin report that the latter enhances the high effect that they get from the former. Of course, marijuana is known to deliver relaxation and a lightness that is hard to achieve naturally or through the use of other substances — and melatonin, in some cases, can enhance that lightness.
How Does Weed Affect Melatonin?
This isn’t a simple and straightforward question to answer.And that’s mostly because not all marijuana is exactly the same. Weed enthusiasts use sativa strains for activity, and they turn to indica strains for rest and relaxation.
Indica strains work in tandem with naturally produced melatonin, helping the user to get a good night’s sleep. One complaint that users of indica strains have, though, is that they don’t remember dreams as vividly as they do without marijuana. These same users report that using melatonin supplements in tandem with indica strains of marijuana helps them remember dreams far more vividly than they would otherwise.
There’s one big drawback to using both indica strains of marijuana and melatonin supplements — they both make it difficult to wake up in the morning, whether used independently or in tandem. So, if you need to get up early the next morning, be careful when using either indica strains of weed or melatonin supplements – or both at the same time.
Is it Safe to Mix Melatonin and Weed?
Smoking marijuana enhances the natural production of melatonin. So, you should know that it’s perfectly safe to use melatonin supplements and marijuana in tandem — but is it advisable to use caution.
If you smoke marijuana at night, your natural melatonin levels should be surging naturally. That is, you may not need the melatonin boost to get good sleep. But, if you want to take a small melatonin dose, you may find that it helps you better remember your dream (if that’s been an issue).
If you smoke marijuana during the day, your melatonin levels are incredibly low to begin with, and you shouldn’t want or need to boost them in any way. If you choose to use melatonin with marijuana during the day, you risk throwing of your sleep-wake cycle, which can create all sorts of issues in getting quality sleep and maintaining a productive routine.
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In Conclusion: How Should You Approach Mixing Melatonin and Weed?
Melatonin supplements are used for a wide range of reasons — even by people who are also smoking weed. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you take the right precautions and know what effects to expect.
First, you should know that melatonin can enhance the high effect a user gets from smoking or ingesting weed. Some people welcome this, while others may not want to get an additional high from using melatonin supplements.
And, second, you should know that marijuana naturally boosts melatonin production. If you’re using indica strains of weed to get better rest, you may not need melatonin to drift off and get some ZZZs. That said, some people use melatonin supplements to help restore their dream memory that has dissipated while using marijuana.
The primary warning is this: if you’re mixing melatonin and weed, you may have a hard time waking up in the morning. But you can work around that, right?
Obviously, kids should not be using marijuana, much less marijuana in tandem with melatonin supplements. And, just to be as safe as possible, ask a medical professional about mixing melatonin and weed if you have any questions or concerns about interactions or other outcomes — especially if you’re experiencing any unusual side effects.
Brad is a freelance writer and journalist who lives and works in Austin, TX. Away from work, he enjoys running, reading, watching baseball and spending time with his family. On rare occasions when he gets the chance, he loves nothing more than a long nap on a Sunday afternoon.