Imagine this: you’re wide awake, yet your mind is drifting through vivid dreamscapes filled with shifting colors, emotional memories, and a sense of timelessness. You feel refreshed afterward — but you never actually fell asleep!

That’s the kind of experience often reported during a psychedelic trip, and it’s drawing the attention of scientists exploring the overlap between psychedelics and REM sleep — the stage of sleep when most dreaming happens.

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

Similarities Between Psychedelic Trips and Dreams Have Long Been Observed

For years, researchers have noticed striking similarities between psychedelic experiences and the brain activity during REM sleep. In fact, some theorize that certain psychedelics might activate a kind of “waking REM” state. This idea gained traction after studies revealed that our brains behave similarly during REM sleep and while we’re awake — at least in terms of activity patterns.

One major study from 2017, led by Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Rainer Kraehenmann, explored this concept directly. He found that psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) could produce vivid imagery, emotional breakthroughs, and a softened sense of self — features that closely resemble lucid dreaming, the phenomenon that occurs when you are aware you are dreaming, within the dream.

This opened up new ideas: Could dreaming and tripping be powered by the same brain mechanisms? Later research on DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) showed it could create brainwave activity similar to REM sleep, possibly even reshaping our understanding of what consciousness looks like when we’re “awake.”

So, does this mean psychedelics could replace — or reduce the need for — actual sleep?

The answer isn’t simple.

Studying Psychedelics and Sleep

In April 2024, a study in Translational Psychiatry added a new piece to the puzzle. Participants who microdosed LSD (taking 10 micrograms every three days) actually slept longer, gaining about 24 extra minutes of total sleep the night after a dose. They also saw a modest increase in REM sleep — about 8 minutes more—but the proportion of REM to total sleep stayed roughly the same. In other words, microdosing LSD doesn’t seem to reduce REM sleep and may even enhance it slightly.

But some psychedelics produce even more mysterious effects…

A 2022 study, also in Translational Psychiatry, looked at psilocin (a breakdown product of psilocybin) and found it disrupted sleep in lab mice. The researchers gave the mice 2 mg/kg of psilocin and recorded their brainwaves and muscle activity. The results showed delayed REM sleep and a reduced ability to sustain deep REM cycles. It seemed that instead of allowing normal dreaming, the drug might have triggered a kind of waking dream state — bypassing the sleep process entirely.

This supports the theory that psychedelics may turn on the “dream machine” in our brain while we’re fully conscious, offering emotional intensity and mental clarity similar to REM sleep — without actually needing to be asleep at all.

Both Sleep and Psychedelics Centre Serotonin

That said, there are still many unknowns — and the research so far involves small sample sizes. “We need to take these results with a grain of salt,” cautions Shari B. Kaplan, a licensed social worker and founder of Cannectd Wellness, a mental health clinic that incorporates plant-based therapies.

Kaplan points out a potential biological explanation: both psychedelics and sleep impact serotonin — a neurotransmitter linked to mood and well-being. Serotonin also helps regulate melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. “When psychedelics increase serotonin during the day, that may help boost melatonin production at night, which could explain why some people sleep better after microdosing,” she says.

But not all psychedelics act alike. DMT, for example, doesn’t just affect serotonin. It also activates dopamine and oxytocin — neurochemicals tied to pleasure and emotional bonding. “That might be why people describe DMT trips as feeling like they’re dreaming while fully awake,” Kaplan explains.

“Sleep isn’t just for dreaming”

If these substances are reshaping sleep architecture, the stakes are high. Psychedelics might one day be used to help treat conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety—much like REM sleep helps process emotions and store memories. They could, in theory, offer the same emotional and psychological benefits as dreaming.

However, Kaplan also raises a serious concern. “Sleep isn’t just for dreaming—it’s when your brain flushes out toxins,” she says. Deep sleep activates the glymphatic system, which clears out harmful waste products, including beta-amyloid, the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. “If we skip that by chemically mimicking dreams while awake, we might be missing out on critical brain maintenance.”

There’s also the unpredictable nature of psychedelics to consider.

“REM sleep is a controlled cycle—it’s tied to your body’s internal clock. Psychedelics, on the other hand, blow that open,” Kaplan says. That lack of regulation is part of what makes psychedelic experiences powerful — but also potentially unsettling.

For now, the line between sleep and psychedelics remains mysterious. But as scientists continue to explore how these substances interact with consciousness, we may begin to understand just how flexible our need for sleep really is — and whether we’re on the cusp of a new kind of waking dream.