CBD and sleep

Have you ever found yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to calm your mind and just fall asleep? If you have, then you struggle with an issue that many people do – and it is a struggle. In today’s age, we are constantly bombarded with stimuli that keep our brains wired, like 24/7 streaming TV or all the electronic devices that emit excessive blue light. And when you throw in our time-is-money attitude, you get a society that simply cannot fall asleep and stay asleep.

While some of us have an unhealthy relationship with sleep, the truth is that it is never too late to start getting a restful night’s sleep. On the market, you will find a ton of sleep remedies; however, many of them are unreliable. Trying to find the best and safest way to fall asleep at night can be overwhelming, but one treatment has emerged as a promising, natural way to maintain a good night’s sleep: CDB. We’ve done the research to provide you with a full understanding of how this natural oil can help you fall asleep and stay asleep, as well as the benefits and risks of CBD use. 

What is CBD?

Before we dive into why CBD has an important role in modern sleep therapy, it is important to understand what CBD is. CBD stands for cannabidiol,a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid found in cannabis. Cannabis itself has a robust history as a therapeutic medicine, with medical use of the plant dating back thousands of years. Unlike the buds of the cannabis plant, CBD does not cause intoxication because it does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the component that causes the high that cannabis is famous for. CBD is often infused in oil and ingested orally as CBD oil, gummies or a tincture. Aside from ingesting it, the other common method of receiving the benefits of CBD is topically through the use of lotions, salves and lip balms. In addition, CDB has recently found its way into vaporizers and e-cigarettes, allowing users to inhale the popular product. 

How does CBD affect sleep?

The applications of CBD have major implications for practically every area of medical science, but especially sleep. In 2016, the CDC cited sleep deprivation as a serious public health epidemic – and they weren’t overreacting. At least one-third of the American population struggles with chronic sleep loss, the consequences of which are grave. While there is a long list of negative health effects from sleep deprivation, the most common include long-term mood disorders, weight gain, ETC. 

CBD works with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which plays a vital role in regulating a range of physiological processes that affect our health and everyday experiences. The ECS controls our mood, energy levels, immune system, blood pressure, metabolism, how we experience stress, pain, hunger and more. Dysregulation, or impairment, of this system has been found in nearly every pathological condition – meaning an improperly functioning ECS equals disease. CBD mimics the body’s endocannabinoids and works to regulate your ECS, leading to an overall homeostasis within your mind and body. 

CBD’s effect on the ECS benefits sleep in three main ways:

• It acts as a calming agent for your mind and body.

• It helps to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety by stabilizing hormones like cortisol (the stress hormone) and serotonin.

• It acts as an anti-inflammatory to support pain relief and soothe muscle and joint soreness throughout the body.

What are the pros of CBD as a sleep aid?

Although the FDA did not first recognize cannabidiol as legitimate until 2018, the study of CBD, as well as its use, both date back much further. Here are the reasons that CBD has found such a dedicated following: 

• It’s a natural and safe alternative to pharmaceuticals and their harmful side effects.

• It’s nonhabit forming.

• It’s not an intoxicant.

• Depending on the dose, it can be either sleep-promoting or mildly energizing.

• It has proven neuroprotective effects.

• Its effect on the body’s endocannabinoid system means that it has therapeutic potential in almost all diseases that affect humans.

Thanks to the discovery of the ECS, we now understand why users of CBD tout it as a miracle medicine. But many of us are left wondering whether there are any problematic side effects. To be honest, there are very few adverse effects of CBD, but that doesn’t mean negative reactions are impossible. Not only are allergic reactions always possible for any new substance, it’s also important to purchase your CBD through a trusted and reliable source. Before you start using any sleep aid, natural or not, you should discuss it with your doctor  – especially if you’re on other medication.