Can't sleep? Sleeping at the wrong time of day? You should look to CBD for sleep. It's a safe, natural, and effective way to address pretty much anything that stands between you and sleep, loud neighbors or roommates aside.

 

The Science Behind CBD for Sleep

CBD performs well in tests and real-life experiences for improving sleep, both by directly impacting sleepiness and addressing other ailments that may make sleeping difficult.

It's been recently discovered that we have an endocannabinoid system in our bodies. We actually create cannabinoids, and we need a certain level of them to feel and be well. The effects of the endocannabinoid system are far reaching.

 

CBD is not a sleeping pill.

CBD doesn't simply force you to be sleepy. In fact, rather than sedating, small doses are more likely to increase energy and alertness as it impacts the same receptors as caffeine. The effect is natural and subtle and doesn't cause a crash like energy drinks.

CBD is not a sleep aid to make you fall asleep right away, rather CBD for sleep regulates chemicals in your body that create more normal, healthy patterns that are conducive to enjoying good sleep.

 

Marijuana and CBD for sleep

You may have heard about people using marijuana for sleep and think CBD works the same way. This isn't true.

Marijuana and Hemp CBD are different. Marijuana is more likely to sedate you, but because it contains more THC than CBD, it can make you feel "high" when you wake up and cause a crash. Even medical marijuana might do this.

CBD contains virtually no THC and can't cause a "high". It is not a sedative, rather a sort of balancer for the body, normalizing important functions like sleep. It also doesn't cause any crash.

 

CBD and Sleep Patterns

A study published in August 2006 showed great promise in using CBD to address daytime drowsiness. One of the most common issues with insomnia and poor sleep is the vicious cycle where one is sleepy during the day and therefore isn't tired enough at night to go to sleep or stay asleep.

Daytime drowsiness is also both distressing and dangerous. You may miss out on things you'd like to do to improve your mood or struggle to accomplish tasks. And tired driving is actually more dangerous than driving drunk, though a huge portion of the US population is doing it because we are so overworked.

If the cause of or a complicating factor in your insomnia is daytime drowsiness, you definitely need to try CBD. It increases alertness during the day, helping you stay awake when you want to, so you are more likely to actually be sleepy at night.

 

CBD Anxiety and Sleep

Anxiety is one of the primary causes for insomnia and other sleep disturbances. Not only does CBD help regulate your sleep pattern, but it is a safe and effective way to combat stress, PTSD, GAD, and many other conditions associated with anxiety. This is a powerful double whammy targeting two of the main obstacles to sleep.

 

CBD Pain and Sleep

Pain also keeps many people awake or makes them wake from sleep. CBD is an effective pain reliever and anti-inflammatory suitable for treating many types of discomfort, including severe pain, and potentially keeping pain from disturbing your rest.

 

CBD for Sleep Disorders

CBD is an exciting treatment option for many sleep disorders.

If you have a sleep disorder not listed here, do not assume that CBD won't help. We did not list every sleep disorder, and CBD provides so many broad benefits to sleep patterns, anxiety, pain, and other health factors in good sleep that your sleep disorder may well be treated by CBD.

 

CBD for REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

If you act out in your sleep, talk in your sleep (more than the occasional word people do every now and then), or even get out of bed, this is REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and can cause you to experience non-relaxing sleep or to wake up from sleep. CBD impacts REM cycles, so someone experiencing REM Sleep Behavior Disorder could find relief. Studies have shown it definitely helps those with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder due to Parkinson's disease.

 

CBD for Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which people experience interruptions in their breathing that may last as long as 30 seconds. One can't sleep if they can't breathe, so these people will wake up and wind up having non-restful sleep. There is no drug to treat sleep apnea, treatment usually consists of devices to assist in more healthy breathing, but many people find these too difficult or uncomfortable to use. Thankfully, CBD is proving to be an effective treatment option for sleep apnea.

 

CBD for Restless Leg Syndrome

You may have restless leg syndrome if you are wakened or unable to go to sleep because of an irresistible urge to move your legs, usually because of a sense of discomfort. The science is new in this area, but a study showed that 6 people were able to find relief from restless leg syndrome using CBD.

 

Using CBD for Sleep

You usually won't want to take CBD products as a one off to quickly fall asleep because it hasn't been proven to be as effective for that. It is best to take CBD for sleep on a regular basis to facilitate a natural sleep rhythm. 

 

What Time to Take CBD for Sleep

One common way to use CBD for sleep is to take a dose of CBD tincture or extract a few hours before bedtime.

Some hold that as close to 90 minutes before bedtime may be beneficial and that using vapes may increase its effectiveness closer to bedtime. You could try either of those if you think it will best for your needs, but the few hours plan is probably the safest choice for most.

You may want to take CBD more than once a day to combat daytime drowsiness, anxiety, pain, and more.

 

Dosing When Taking CBD for Sleep

It's best to start with a lower dose and work up as needed. When purchasing your first CBD product for sleep choose the product that will be easiest and most cost effective for you to play around the dose to see what works.

CBD is more likely to make one alert at small doses and sedated at larger doses. If you are taking CBD one time a day for sleep, you might take one dose of 100 mg or more as 100 mg has proven to be a common target dose for insomnia. If you are expecting to take CBD multiple times a day, you might always take a smaller dose like say 10 or 15 mg or take a smaller dose during the day and a larger one at night.

If you are nervous about deciding what dose to take or would like personalized, expert advice on when and how much and even which cannabinoids and nutrients to prioritize when purchasing a CBD product, you could consult a doctor who is knowledgeable about CBD.

 

CBD Drug Interactions?

CBD oil is generally safe to take with other medications, but some caution is advised.

CBD can impact the liver's ability to absorb drugs at the expected rate, so if a doctor prescribed a certain dose for you, that dose may not be accurate while using CBD. This is especially true if your liver is not working in top form already.

CBD can have sedative effects in large doses, which means it can increase the sedative effects of other drugs.

CBD can also impact serotonin receptors, so it could lead to serotonin toxicity if taken with other medications that also impact serotonin, such as SSRIs.

For these reasons, it is wise to consult a doctor before taking CBD oil with any other medication.

It is usually okay to take CBD oil with reasonable amounts of alcohol, but drinking larger amounts and certainly binge drinking while taking CBD can be dangerous.

 

"Can I take CBD oil with melatonin?"

Many people take melatonin as a natural sleep aid, so the question is understandable. The answer is, yes, you can take CBD and melatonin together, in fact some manufacturer's put melatonin in their CBD products.

It probably isn't best to start out taking both at the same time because then you won't know whether it was the CBD or the melatonin that helped you.

 

"CBD didn't help me sleep"

If CBD doesn't help you sleep, don't give up. You may need to try a different CBD oil as different ones might better address your sleep problems. CBD isolate or full-spectrum may work better or worse for your needs. You may also try taking it at a different time of day or taking a different dose.

While people have known for hundreds of years that cannabis aids sleep, the science regarding how it works is still new. A doctor knowledgeable about cannabinoids and other people sharing their advice from similar sleep experiences may help guide you. You can educate yourself about what scientists say works in studies and what users say works for them and then experiment from there to achieve the desired effect.

Choosing CBD for Sleep

CBD comes in many forms to suit different needs and tastes.

 

People can use CBD as a:

• tinctures
• extract concentrates
• vapes
• capsules
• skin care products
• CBD for pets such as dogs, cats, and horses

 

CBD Extract Concentrates

CBD extract concentrates are the purest form of CBD as they contain nothing other than concentrated CBD oil, and hemp plant nutrients if the concentrate is full-spectrum. These are a cost-effective method of taking CBD oil, and you can vary how much you want to take by measuring out your dose, but they don't taste very good because hemp has a strong taste that many people struggle with. You may be okay with it though. Some people are. It can also be taken with other foods and drinks to mask the taste.

 

CBD Oil Tinctures

CBD oil tinctures are similar to extract concentrates, but they contain flavors and carrier oils that make taking CBD oil more enjoyable. The flavors and oils should also be natural and/or organic and safe, if you purchase from a reputable manufacturer. You can also vary the dose by how many drops you take.

 

CBD Vape Fluids

CBD vape fluids and cartridges are fun and discrete ways to take CBD oil, should you feel uncomfortable taking what looks like a medication in public or in front of others. This is a controversial method as many vape fluids use ingredients that are not safe, but it is possible to find ones without these ingredients.

 

CBD Capsules

CBD capsules are taste-free methods of taking CBD that are also discrete. Just pop a capsule; you don't have to worry about measuring if you don't want to.

 

CBD Gummies

CBD gummies are just like gummy candy or gummy vitamins and make a fun and tasty way to get your dose of CBD oil. They do have more ingredients, but a reputable company should only be using natural and safe ingredients.

CBD Skin Care Products

CBD skin care products can help with specific areas, such as with localized pain. CBD lip balms are also great ways to deliver CBD to your body as the lips contain a number of cannabinoid receptors. This is another convenient and discrete way to get your dose of CBD, and moisturize your lips.

 

Things to Look for When Choosing CBD Products

Buying CBD products is, unfortunately, not as simple as running a search and buying the first product that seems appealing and is a good price. Since news hit the world about how great CBD oil is, a market of CBD products exploded with the consumer having little to no knowledge of what to expect. Many products are not what they claim to be, so much so that they may not even contain any real CBD oil! Because of this, it is important to check certain things when choosing a CBD product.

Isolate or Full Spectrum

Both CBD isolate and full-spectrum CBD products have their merits, but you need to know which you are buying to ensure you are getting what you want. CBD isolate is CBD oil extracted from the hemp plant into a form all by itself and may be put in tinctures and other products. Full-spectrum CBD contains bits of the entire hemp plant, which provides other cannabinoids and nutrients that are also beneficial for many people. Most people prefer full-spectrum but others swear that only CBD isolate works for them, so it is important for you to know what you're taking so you can know what does and does not work for you.

 

Extraction Method

Always look for a mention of the cold CO2 extraction method. It is the safest and purest method of extraction.

 

Check Ingredients

Check the ingredients list to ensure the company hasn't added questionable or unsafe ingredients. A smaller number of ingredients is generally good, but if you don't have any idea what something is or why it's in there, you may want to do some research. Ensure their ingredients are at least natural, if not organic.

 

Source

Where did the company get their hemp and/or extracts? They should be willing to tell you.

 

Third-party Testing

Any reputable CBD product manufacturer will provide the results of third-party testing for their products. This is to ensure you are receiving all the cannabinoids and other nutrients you're buying.

VitaLeaf Naturals is a good place to start looking for such CBD products as our products meet or exceed all of the criteria just mentioned. We started providing products for ailing pets in 2005 and eventually branched out to humans, offering 100% organic, pure CBD oil products that are scientifically-based.

 

Sources:

• https://www.bmj.com/sites/default/files/response_attachments/2015/03/Medicinal%20Cannabis%20The%20Evidence%20V1.pdf
• https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/CannabidiolCriticalReview.pdf