The Intersection of Psychedelics and Sleep: Exploring the Impacts on Sleep Architecture, Dream States, and Therapeutic Implications
Haojiang Zhai, Hongshuang Wang, Haohong Li, Xiaohui Wang
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science May 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00234 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Insomnia Psychedelics Profoundly impact Influencing Substances Emerging perspective Improving sleep quality Addressing conditions Alter sleep architecture Vivid dreaming |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelics may alter sleep phases and dreaming, with potential therapeutic applications for sleep disorders, but the area remains underexplored. |
Abstract
The interplay between psychedelics, such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and sleep is an emerging area, but their impact on sleep remains relatively underexplored. This viewpoint provides a perspective on how psychedelics may alter sleep phases, dreaming, and their potential therapeutic applications for sleep disorders.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Psychedelics and the Extracellular Matrix: Rewiring Neuroplasticity and Metaplasticity for Next-Generation Psychiatric Therapies Biological Psychiatry February 1, 2026
- Chemical ecology and convergent evolution of natural hallucinogens: From ecological defense to conserved neural targets Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 24, 2026
Cites 17
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Psilocybin Biases Facial Recognition, Goal-Directed Behavior, and Mood State Toward Positive Relative to Negative Emotions Through Different Serotonergic Subreceptors Biological Psychiatry May 9, 2012
- The neural basis of psychedelic action. Nature Neuroscience October 24, 2022
- Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology October 21, 2022
- Dreams and Psychedelics: Neurophenomenological Comparison and Therapeutic Implications Current Neuropharmacology June 19, 2017
and 12 more in the library