CBD for Sleep: How CBD Can Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is as important as healthy food or exercise. It helps maintain your overall health by improving your mood, brain performance, and physical health. According to CDC, an adult (aged 18 to 60 years) needs seven or more hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, the pace of modern life hardly gives you the time to rest.

Most people spend their nights tossing and turning as good quality sleep continues to elude them. The data shows that a third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep. If you are one of them, you must’ve considered alternatives like sleeping aids, techniques, and supplements.

But did you know that CBD and CBN can also help you sleep better?

So, how does CBD help you sleep?

Before we get into those details, let’s first understand what good quality sleep is and why you need it.

What Is Good Quality Sleep?

Before you use CBD for sleep, it is necessary to understand what good quality sleep means. As mentioned before, adults need more than seven hours of sleep to stay healthy and fit. But it also needs to be of good quality. Usually, the signs of good quality sleep include:

• You fall asleep in less than 30 minutes after getting into the bed
• You sleep seven-eight hours straight.
• If you do wake up at night, you fall asleep in 20 minutes or less.

You don’t feel tired or groggy when you wake up. Instead, you feel rested and rejuvenated in the morning.

If you show these signs, you don’t need CBD for sleep or any other solution. Good quality sleep comes with many health benefits. According to the Office of Disease Prevent and Health Promotion, these benefits are:

• Better health (fewer chances of falling sick).
• Less risk of gaining weight (easier to maintain a healthy weight).
• Reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disorders.
• Reduced stress and improved mental health.
• Improved your focus.

However, if you don’t get good quality sleep, you will need to find ways to get better sleep. One of these solutions is using CBD and CBN for sleep. These two main ingredients derived from the cannabis plant might be able to help you sleep better.

Let’s learn more about this, starting with CBD and melatonin for sleep.

CBD and Sleep Aid

CBD or Cannabidiol is the second most abundant chemical found in the Cannabis sativa plant, also known as cannabis or hemp. Unlike the THC Tetrahydrocannabinol, it is not a psychoactive constituent of cannabis. In other words, taking CBD for sleep or alleviating pain won’t make you feel “high.”

Studies have also shown that the abrupt discontinuation of CBD does not lead to withdrawal. In the recent decade, increasing public interest and new government regulations have brought an influx of CBD products into the market. Its therapeutic use is rapidly growing.

Here’s how taking CBD for sleep aid works.

How CBD Can Help with Sleep?

Although the research is still in its primary stage, different studies indicate that CBD may prove helpful in promoting good quality sleep. These positive outcomes have encouraged scientists and manufacturers to study the restorative and therapeutic benefits of CBD further.

CBD can improve your mood because it affects the serotonin system. Research also shows that CBD has a calming effect on the nervous system. This calming effect may play a critical role in helping you sleep better.

Although there are no ground-breaking studies on the direct benefit of CBD for sleep, many studies suggest it may indirectly benefit your sleeping behavior. For example, CBD is believed to help alleviate anxiety - a contributing factor to poor sleep.

One study involving 103 participants with anxiety or poor sleep explored the effects of CBD on reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality. The study showed that within one month:

• Nearly 80% of participants reported lower anxiety levels.
• Sleep initially improved in more than 65% of participants.

The researchers also found that 25mg was the most effective dosage for anxiety. However, addressing troubled sleep required higher dosages.

Moreover, it is believed that CBD can help manage other sleep disorders like insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness. However, the research in these fields is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, many people continue to use CBD for sleep.

Don’t Forget about CBN and Sleep

Just like CBD, CBN or Cannabinol is also one of the 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants. CBN is growing in popularity because it may be able to help you get better, more restful sleep. It is derived from THC or tetrahydrocannabinol - the main psychoactive chemical found in the cannabis plant. That’s why CBN, in large doses, can produce mild psychoactive reactions.

How CBN Can Help with Sleep?

CBN is believed to aid in better sleep due to its sedative properties. But more research is needed to support this claim. The ongoing studies are optimistic about exploiting the sedative properties of CBN to promote better sleep in individuals with insomnia, anxiety, and other sleep disorders.

However, many sleep-challenged people, like writer Leah Rumack, are leaning in favor of CBN for sleep aid. According to Rumack, “While I still have bad nights, I’m falling asleep more quickly, slumbering more deeply and having less trouble falling back asleep.”

As more CBN products hit the market and the research continues, we will come to know more about the benefits of CBN for sleep and other disorders.

How to Use CBD for Sleep?

Generally, CBD drops for sleep are the best way to use them. CBD oils and tinctures get into your system faster than other forms. It takes around 20-30 minutes for these to start showing effects. Here’s how you should take CBD drops for sleep.

• Put a few drops of oil under your tongue.
• Hold them there for 30-60 seconds.
• Take the drops 15-20 minutes before getting into bed.
• If you are taking CBD for restorative reasons, you can add the drops to your smoothie, juice, or even your morning coffee.

The other alternatives include CBD softgels, CBD gummies, and capsules. These edibles can take a little longer to start showing calming effects. It can be around 30 minutes or an hour before experiencing any effects.

You will need to gulp the capsule with water. However, you can pop gummies and cBD softgels anytime you want. Gummies and softgels are especially popular because they are easy to consume. CBD is also available as a topical. But CBD topicals are more suitable in treating local inflammations and muscle recovery than sleep.

 When to Take CBD for Sleep?

 The best time to take CBD for sleep is half an hour before hitting the bed. You can take it as a tincture, oil, gummies, capsules, or softgels. If you are new to CBD, remember the cardinal rule “Start low and go slow.” As CBD is not an FDA-regulated drug, no manufacturers can suggest the dosage.

Please keep the following in mind.

 The amount of CBD for sleep will be different for each individual.

• So, start your therapeutic regime with a few drops.
• Keep adjusting the dosage until found the amount that works for you.
• Continue with that amount and routine.

CBD continues to be the subject of a lot of research and debate in the scientific community. One of the most debated topics is what is the right amount (dosage) of CBD for sleep or restorative solutions.

Although the research is in its early stages, most human studies have used dosages anywhere between 20 and 1,500 milligrams (mg) per day. Studies so far have shown that taking up to 1,500 milligrams (mg) of CBD per day is well-tolerated by participants. But new research will shed more light on this matter.

As far as the dosage of CBD for sleep goes, it will depend on many factors like:

• Your age and weight.
• Personal body chemistry.
• The nature and history of sleeping troubles you face.

Also, using CBD for sleep isn’t going to change everything overnight. It will be a few weeks, if not months until you start witnessing the effects. Do keep this in mind when you start taking CBD as a sleep aid.

Conclusion

Ultimately, whether to use CBD for sleep or not is going to be a decision between you and your health care provider. The research on the effectiveness of CBD in promoting deep REM sleep is very primitive. It will take more investigation to understand the calming effects of CBD on the human endocrine and nervous system.

If you want to start using CBD for sleep, Foliage Wellness offers different solutions. Check out our online store now to find a product of your choice. Or you can reach out to us by filling out our online form.