Getting a good amount of sleep is incredibly important for your health. Although the amount of sleep needed varies from person to person, most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night. If you are having trouble drifting into a peaceful, nourishing slumber? You’re not sitting up at night alone: More than 60 million Americans suffer from poor sleep quality.
Although it’s common to have the occasional sleepless night, insomnia is the inability to sleep or excessive wakening in the night that impairs daily functioning. Of natural remedies, CBD oil has been shown to be useful. Since chronic lack of sleep may be linked to a number of health problems (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression), it’s important to consult your physician and avoid self-treating with alternative medicine.
In recent years, CBD products have hit the market offering promises of sleep relief with little-to-no side effects. There are capsules, tinctures, gummies. Brookestone has even announced a CBD-infused pillow.
Studies show that CBD can be effective for pain management and anxiety — two things that tend to keep us up at night. One study published in January of 2019 called “Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series,” points to CBD as a hopeful sleep aid.
Cannabidiol — also known as CBD — is one of the main cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids interact with your endocannabinoid system, which helps your body maintain a state of balance and stability or homeostasis.
Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD isn’t psychoactive, meaning it won’t get you “high.” Instead, it has a range of health applications, like reducing seizures in people with epilepsy and pain relief from various conditions.
CBD Sleep Benefits
It’s easy to understand why people are turning to CBD to help with sleep:
1. Reduced Anxiety
A frequent cause of sleeplessness is anxiety and stress. CBD helps to regulate cortisol, a stress hormone, which has a notable influence on non-REM sleep cycles. A large case series review discovered that CBD is useful for anxiety-related issues and an improvement in sleep quality.
2. Pain Relief
For those who cope with insomnia due to persistent or acute pain, CBD offers an appreciated alternative to pharmaceutical pain relievers. CBD helps reduce pain-induced sleeplessness by controlling the symptoms themselves rather than producing a sedative effect like many sleep-aids.
3. Relaxed Muscles
Studies show that CBD is a encouraging treatment for mobility disorders, helping to decrease tremors and hypermotility in Parkinson’s disease patients. By decreasing muscle tremors, CBD helps sleeplessness in patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.
4. Relief From Drowsiness
CBD has a double effect depending on the person and time of day it is given. This is because it controls the body’s sleep/wake cycles, helping to encourage wakefulness during daytime and relaxation at night. Insomnia, daytime sleepiness, or drowsiness, can influence both daytime productivity and the capacity to fall asleep at night. Administration of CBD during daylight hours helps increase alertness, leading to a more restful sleep at night.
5. Relief from PTSD
Sleep disorders can be a consequence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in sleep disorders and REM cycle issues. A growing number of research studies show the effectiveness of using CBD oil for sleep issues related to PTSD. CBD helps to relieve anxiety related to PTSD, which decreases anxiety-induced REM sleep disturbances.
Forms of CBD
Depending on the laws in your state, you may need a doctor’s prescription for CBD oil. But laws continue to change quickly, so in the near future, it may be different.
CBD oil can be placed under the tongue. It may also be infused in different products including the following;
- Capsule – a good way to take CBD as you know exactly how much you’re taking. It has to pass through your digestive system and get metabolized by your liver, so take capsules an hour or two before bed.
- Tinctures and sprays – the fastest absorption rate of all the different ways you can take CBD products. Spray place the drops under your tongue and wait 60-90 seconds, and it will be absorbed in about 20 minutes via the mucous membranes in your mouth. The only drawback of these methods is that it’s a little more difficult to get an exact dosage, and sprays and tinctures will sometimes have a taste that people don’t like.
- Gummies – A similar absorption method to capsules, the only caution is that some brands contain a lot of added sugar, which may it more difficult to fall asleep.
- Creams and lotions- this method is generally better for localized pain, such as pain in your knee or elbow.
- Vaping – we don’t recommend vaping due to safety concerns.
CBD Dosage for Sleep
CBD oil is available in different concentrations. Since research is ongoing, the exact dose to treat sleep issues may not be fully known. It might take some trial and error to determine what works best.