CBD for Sleep – Can CBD Help you Sleep Better?

Can CBD help you sleep better?  This is one of the most common questions of people considering using CBD.   Many CBD users speak about dramatically improved sleep patterns, whether it’s the ability to fall asleep or to get a more restful full night’s sleep. Yes, we know that CBD is good for overall wellness and regulation of your body, but what specifically is it doing to help you sleep? Here’s what you need to know about using CBD for sleep.

The Basics of CBD

First, let’s make sure we review the basics of CBD.  CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is one of many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.  CBD is found in large concentrations and unlike its cousin, THC, CBD is not psychoactive, so doesn’t get you “high”.

CBD by itself or combined with the other natural cannabinoids which you will find in a “full-spectrum” or “broad-spectrum” products, stimulates the neurons in your body’s endo-cannabinoid system (or ECS).  That system is responsible for helping to regulate many systems and organs including your nervous system, immune system, brain, and much more.

CBD is used to provide an overall sense of balance and well-being and is used to deal with many health challenges including pain, anxiety, depression, inflammation, and more.  FDA-approved medications are on the market for specific forms of epilepsy.

Does CBD Help You Sleep Better?

The number of anecdotal stories about CBD improving sleep are endless, but let’s look a recent 2019 published medical study. A study published on the National Institute of Health was conducted to determine “whether CBD helps improve sleep and/or anxiety in a clinical population”. 

 Study Summary: The final sample of patients consisted of 72 adults, 65% with anxiety and 35% with poor sleep, and all had follow-up visits after being prescribed CBD. On average, anxiety and sleep improved for most patients, and these improvements were sustained over time. After the first month of treatment, 79% saw improvements in anxiety and 67% saw improvements in sleep.  After two months, the numbers remained high at 78% and 56% for anxiety and sleep respectively.

Now, more studies are needed and are taking place.  This study had no control / comparison group.

Regardless, those results seem to mirror the anecdotal stories and make logical sense if we think about WHY CBD might help people sleep better.

Why Does CBD Help You Sleep Better?

To figure out why CBD help’s people sleep better, let’s think about why they might not be sleeping well in the first place.  Top reasons might include:

• The daily stress and anxiety of life, be it personal or business related
• Specific mental health disorders with diagnoses tied to anxiety or depression
• Chronic pain in any part of the body, including restless leg syndrome
• The use of stimulants such as caffeine or sometimes nicotine late in the day
• A partner who is snoring or tossing in bed, or maybe a bad mattress itself

Often, people who have been trouble sleeping have resorted to medications to help them sleep, essentially sedating themselves.  While this may be medically prescribed and useful in certain situations, sedation is never really treating the root-cause, it’s a mechanism to mask and overcome how the body is behaving.

CBD, on the other hand, is working to bring the body’s natural systems into balance, and therefore helping to address some of the root causes.  There are quality CBD products that also include additives such as melatonin, which can be a good combination for some people.

CBD, per the study described earlier, has been shown to provide substantial relief for anxiety and depression.  It is commonly used for chronic pain itself and has been shown to help with reducing inflammation.  CBD is not a stimulate, in fact it lowers adrenaline and has been shown to have a positive effect on serotonin levels.

One of the reasons people Vape CBD instead of Nicotine is because the effects are essentially the opposite.

So, the core reason CBD may be helping people sleep, is that it is helping with some or all these underlying causes for poor sleep.  Producing an overall calming effect, but not real sedation, is the common description for CBD users.

Oh – and the partner who is snoring or tossing in bed – maybe suggest CBD to them, for your own sake.

Ways To Take CBD For Sleep

1. Vaping CBD is a very effective way to rapidly get CBD into the bloodstream for those who like to vape.
2. Gummies or other edibles – a very popular way to take CBD with your favorite flavor.  CBDFx has a great gummy product that also includes melatonin, shown below.  Green Roads Sleep-Z’s are also popular.
3. Capsules – capsules should be taken a bit longer before bed, maybe 30-60 minutes, but some, like those from MedTerra also include melatonin.
4. CBD Oils / Tinctures – great for overall wellness daily and you can try to take a dose in the morning and then prior to bed to help create that wellbeing to help sleep.
5. Any CBD going into your system, helping to address those root causes, will help, so the key is to take something the way that works for you.

Thinking About Your Sleep

CBD can be an important part of helping you get better sleep by addressing some of the root causes of your sleeping challenges.  There may be other actions needed to address those root causes as part of an overall solution.  If you’re using sleep medications, it is always advisable to contact your physician before discontinuing or combining with CBD for sleep.

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