Psychedelics and Sleep: Preclinical and Human Studies—A Systematic Review
Kim Supit, Giordano N. Rossi, José Augusto S. Reis, Leman H. Dursun, Serdar Dursun, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Rafael G. Dos Santos
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology October 11, 2026 DOI: 10.65801/pcp.3606 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | LSD psilocybin DMT/ayahuasca |
| Key findings | Classic psychedelics appear to produce acute but transient alterations in sleep physiology, particularly affecting REM sleep, with preclinical studies consistently showing REM suppression and increased wakefulness. Human findings are more heterogeneous, and whether these sleep changes contribute to therapeutic effects remains uncertain. The authors note fair-to-poor validity and notable risk of bias across included studies. |
Abstract
Background: Classic psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)/ ayahuasca, have shown promise as rapid-acting treatments for psychiatric disorders. Because sleep plays a central role in emotional regulation and neuroplasticity, psychedelic-induced changes in sleep architecture are of interest.Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed was searched for preclinical and clinical studies published up to May 1, 2026, investigating psychedelics and sleep-related outcomes. Twelve eligible studies evaluated LSD, psilocybin, or DMT/ayahuasca and assessed sleep architecture, sleep quality, electroencephalographic activity, or dreams. Study validity was assessed using appropriate methodological tools.Results: Preclinical studies consistently demonstrated acute REM sleep suppression, delayed REM onset, increased wakefulness, and transient disruption of non-REM sleep. Human findings were more heterogeneous, although randomized trials reported prolonged REM latency after psilocybin and reduced REM duration after ayahuasca. Evidence regarding slow-wave activity (SWA) was mixed, with ayahuasca increasing early-cycle SWA and psilocybin reducing absolute delta power during the first sleep cycle. Subjective sleep quality showed little acute change in controlled trials, whereas one large naturalistic study reported reductions in sleep disturbances following psilocybin. Administration close to bedtime appeared more disruptive than daytime dosing. In general, quality assessments indicated fair-to-poor validity and notable risk of bias.Conclusions: Classic psychedelics produce acute but transient alterations in sleep physiology, particularly affecting REM sleep. Whether these changes contribute to therapeutic effects remains uncertain. Larger, well-controlled studies using standardized polysomnographic methods are needed to clarify the relationship between psychedelic-induced sleep modulation and clinical outcomes. This review was not prospectively registered.