Paranoia, anxiety and fear are common occurrences when couch lock first takes hold of your mind & body. We’ll talk about how to defend yourself from falling too far down the rabbit hole when couch lock happens, but for now we’ll focus on the causes & effects.
Couch lock isn’t really something to fear because it’s just a symptom of the sedative effects that some couch lock strains can have on us. Even if you’re a long-time cannabis consumer, couch lock can take hold of the highest tolerances (pun intended). Cannabinoids and terpenes can have an untold variety of effects on our brains and bodies, so trying to categorize or predict what will happen can be like doing calculus while hanging upside down.
That being said, there are some cannaseurs that are adamant about indicas and indica-dominant hybrids being the most likely culprits for couch lock. Across the board, many indica-dominant strains are very sedating, sleep-inducing or body-relaxing. This isn’t exclusive to indicas however, as a number of sativas can accomplish the same kinds of mental/physical effects.
So, if it’s not the strain itself, then what can we look to for predicting the onset of couch lock? Terpenes, like with many cannabis related things, likely hold the ultimate answers to the questions we are asking. Myrcene is one terpene that is closely associated with couch lock. Myrcene is very common in many indicas – hence the phrase for “in-da-couch” – that has a musky, spicy, clove-like aroma and flavor.
Myrcene is the consensus pick for “couch locking terpene” amongst many in the cannabis community, but like with most research surrounding this mysterious plant in all its varieties, we’re just getting started. There are hundreds of cannabinoids inherent in the thousands of cannabis cultivars, and hundreds more terpenes that we’ve yet to fully map out and understand. Until more studies are done on terpenes and the complexities of their effects on our minds & bodies, we’ll just have to go with what is known in the cannabis community for now.