Can You Sleep on Shrooms?

A good night’s sleep is essential for your overall well-being. Without proper sleep, you’ll find yourself zoning in and out of sleepiness and wakefulness. And if this becomes a steady pattern, you’ll notice that the different facets of your life become adversely affected.

But what happens after taking psilocybin mushrooms? Can you get a restful night’s sleep? In short, can you sleep on shrooms?

Sleeping After Taking Magic Mushrooms

Can you fall asleep after taking magic mushrooms?

Anecdotes from people who use magic shrooms vary, making it difficult to answer that question definitively.

However, most magic shrooms users report difficulty falling asleep while the effects of psilocybin are still active.

One possible explanation behind this is that psilocybin makes your mind more active, and the chemical boosts serotonin levels in your brain.

Trying to sleep while you’re on shrooms is a losing battle you can’t win unless you can sleep, no matter what the conditions are.

For example, magic mushrooms like Golden Teacher mushrooms can keep you awake between six and 10 hours. And no matter what you do, you’ll struggle to fall asleep.

If you wish to use psilocybin mushrooms without worrying about disrupting your sleep pattern, take shrooms several hours before you intend to sleep.

On average, it takes about four to six hours before psilocybin’s effects wear off. And once the effects of magic mushrooms have worn off, you will feel tired, making it easier for you to fall asleep.

In fact, you’ll sleep better after coming down from a psychedelic trip because psilocybin can help people relax better.

Taking shrooms before sleeping

What will happen if you fall asleep before the effects of psilocybin kick in?

The effects of psilocybin kick in roughly 30 minutes after taking magic shrooms. If you happen to fall asleep before that, there are a couple of things that can happen.

First, you might have more vivid dreams than you are used to. Second, you can end up waking up. And once you wake up, you will find it practically impossible to get back to sleep.

Taking shrooms after drinking alcoholic drinks can make you fall asleep. According to some anecdotes, mixing psilocybin with alcohol can lead to lucid dreaming.

However, mixing shrooms with other substances is not a good idea and can lead to unforeseen side effects.

Microdosing and sleep

Microdosing has become popular, especially among people who want to become more creative, productive, and have a more positive attitude. But how will your sleep be affected if you microdose shrooms?

When you microdose shrooms, you’ll never reach the threshold of the psychedelic experience. That means you won’t experience most of the hallucinogenic effects of shrooms, possibly including sleep disruption.

It’s important to note that in the microdosing community, there are recommendations on when it’s the best time to take psilocybin mushrooms.

The results may be a mixed bag if it’s your first trip. It’s possible that you can sleep without any hitch, or you might find it difficult to get some sleep.

But overall, you can get multiple benefits if you microdose psychedelic mushrooms, especially in terms of sleep quality and overall mental health and well-being.

How Psilocybin Affects Sleep Patterns

What does sleep medicine research show about psilocybin shrooms and sleep?

According to sleep physiology researchers from the University of Oxford, psychedelic drugs like psilocybin can relieve some of the symptoms of mental health conditions, including depression. However, the underlying principles behind this phenomenon remain largely unclear.

For this research, the sleep medicine experts wanted to know the potential effects of psilocybin on sleep. According to mental health experts, sleep disruption is a major factor linked to the start and persistence of a lot of mental disorders.

This study involves putting implants and electrodes on mice before the administration of psilocin. Psilocin was administered right about the same time the mice slept.

From their observations on the mice, the scientists noticed that the test subjects had difficulty falling asleep, although they remained in their nests and took their usual sleeping posture.

Another key discovery in this study was that psilocin slowed down the onset of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the deepest sleep stage.

The researchers also observed that psilocin also reduced the non-rapid eye movement sleep for about three hours after receiving a dose.

Although further research is needed regarding the impact of psilocybin on sleep, the researchers believe that sleep plays a crucial role in getting the most out of the benefits of using psychedelics for mental health.

Magic Mushrooms and the Waking Dream Experience

The effects of psilocybin go beyond its direct effects on both non-REM and REM sleep.

In a study conducted by researchers from the Imperial College London in 2014, scientists examined the human brain while on psilocybin shrooms through MRI.

The researchers observed that brain activity ramped up in the parts of the brain responsible for memory, emotions, and arousal. These brain parts are known as the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex. Neuroscientists have labelled these areas in the brain as primitive regions.

At the same time, the parts of the brain responsible for self-identity and higher thinking were muted.

In another study conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich in 2014, it was discovered that psilocybin affects the amygdala, which has been linked to both anxiety and depression.

The amygdala consists of two parts, with one side linked to negative emotions. In the study conducted by the University of Zurich researchers, it appears that psilocin alters the brain’s ability to process negative emotions.

Researchers from the Imperial College London suggest that psilocybin can treat depression by allowing patients to overcome their thought patterns.

But what about the regions of the brain that psilocybin appears to dampen?

People in psychedelic circles have long reported the phenomenon known as ego death. And these scientific studies seem to support the concept of ego death.

Upon ingestion of magic mushrooms, the parts of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex and fronto-insular cortex register minimal activity. These regions are associated with high-level thinking.

According to researchers, the decrease in neurological activity in these parts of the brain gives credence to the idea of disjointedness and ego death.

How Long Does Psilocybin Stay in Your Body?

Now that it has been established that you can’t fall asleep until psilocybin stays in your system, the next crucial question to ask is, “how long will psilocybin stay in your body?”

It takes anywhere between three to six hours to feel the effects of magic shrooms. However, psilocybin can stay in your system for as long as 24 hours.

The amount of time psilocybin stays in your body will depend on a few factors. These include the species of mushroom you consumed, your age, body weight, dosage, and method of consumption.

You can drink water to flush psilocybin out of your system. However, if your goal is to pass a drug test, there is not much that you can do.

How to Come Down from a Psilocybin Trip

Learning how to come down from a mushroom trip, especially a bad trip, is an essential skill that you ought to learn if you plan on taking shrooms.

Although you can’t flush out psilocybin from your body, you can come down from a mushroom trip faster.

Plus, bad trips can arise due to a number of possible reasons. Although you can’t end your trip immediately, you can turn a bad trip into a more positive one.

What happens after ingesting mushrooms?

But before learning how to come down from a trip, you ought to know a few essential things.

First, what happens after you consume mushrooms? Whether you ingested fresh or dried shrooms, ate them raw or drank mushroom tea, the results are similar.

After ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, your body breaks its psilocybin content into psilocin which is the psychoactive substance in these mushrooms. Psilocin is responsible for most of the effects associated with shrooms.

Once the psilocin is released inside your body, it interacts with the 5-HT2A receptors in your prefrontal cortex.

As your body metabolizes the organic parts of the shrooms, another process happens – glucuronidation. This is the process that involves the flushing of toxins out of your body, including psilocybin.

Psilocybin can stay in your body for 24 hours, while psilocin is eliminated in as little as 12 hours.

Timeline of a psychedelic experience

The length of a psychedelic trip varies depending on a few factors. For one, you’ll need to take into account which species of shrooms you are using. The trip timeline for penis envy mushrooms will differ from the timeline of other mushrooms.

The age of the mushroom, as well as your ingestion method, will also affect the timeline of your trip.

Coming down from a mushroom trip

A psychedelic trip is a ride that has no stops. There are only two points – the beginning and the end. However, there are a few things that will help make a mushroom trip go faster.

1. Move around

One of the easiest ways to hasten the end of a psychedelic trip is to speed up your metabolism. To do that, you have to move. For example, you can walk around in your room or house.

Moving facilitates the faster movement of psilocybin in your body.

However, it is important to practice caution, especially during bad trips. The last thing that you want is to elevate your heart rate.

2. Eat something

Eating isn’t usually associated with taking shrooms, unlike smoking weed.

However, eating something light is one way to accelerate your metabolism and make your mushroom trip end faster.

But what exactly should you eat? Apples, kale, and turmeric are a few of the foods that can help you come down from a mushroom trip faster. Other nutrients that you should add to your pantry if you plan on having a psychedelic trip include magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, grape seed extract, resveratrol, and milk thistle.

3. Change the setting

Set and setting are crucial for a good trip.

But what if your trip is heading in a direction you don’t want?

One of the first things that you can do is move to a different spot, preferably one that is quiet, safe, and comfortable.

Next, you can play some soothing music to help calm your mind. It can also be beneficial to talk to someone you trust to guide you through your trip.

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