How Does CBD Help With Insomnia?

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Do you struggle to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night [1]? Waking up feeling tired and anxious? Experiencing fatigue and brain fog throughout the day? It is possible you have insomnia. Lately, cannabidiol (CBD) has become an increasingly popular supplement for sleep health. It is believed that CBD can improve your sleep—even when you are afflicted with insomnia. But exactly how does CBD help with insomnia?

Let’s discuss what medicine and research tell us.

 

What is CBD?

Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has gotten a reputation for causing anxiety, cannabidiol (CBD) is the exact opposite. It may make you tired. CBD comes from hemp or cannabis, just like THC, but it does not have the same psychoactive effects. Instead, it is believed that CBD can soothe people. Presently, CBD is undergoing intense study to see if it has any anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) or sedative effects, but it is not currently a legally approved medication for insomnia or other sleep disorders.

 

What is Insomnia?

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), insomnia is a common sleep disorder that causes you to have “trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting good quality sleep” [2]. Even if you set up an adequate sleep environment, insomnia still plagues you; some people cannot function during the day because of this.

There are two forms of insomnia—short-term and long-term. Stress and changes in routine or environment are often the cause of short-term insomnia. Long-term (or chronic) insomnia is characterized by occurring more than 3 nights per week for more than 3 months. Sometimes other medical conditions are responsible for the onset of short- or long-term insomnia.

According to the Sleep Foundation, the symptoms of insomnia are as follows: [3]

  • Trouble staying or falling asleep throughout the night
  • Unwanted waking in the early morning
  • Fatigue
  • Resisting sleep (children and teens)
  • Impaired memory or attention
  • Disturbed mood
  • Irritability
  • Decreased motivation
  • Clumsiness
  • Worried about lack of sleep
  • Performance issues

 

How Does CBD Help With Insomnia?

Research routinely reports that CBD has an effect on the nervous system, as well as some neuroprotective properties [4]. In 2019, it was also reported that CBD may modulate serotonin transmission within the brain, thereby reversing some anxious behaviors in those who take it [5]. But would CBD’s influence on the nervous system change insomnia?

How Does CBD Help With Insomnia?

The Endocannabinoid System

Before providing some insight into the above-mentioned question, let’s first consider the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is present throughout the body and works to maintain homeostasis. A recent study from 2020 suggests that the endocannabinoid system exerts critical neurobiological functions…including the control of the sleep-wake cycle” [6]. Furthermore, the researchers found that the endocannabinoid system may work to modulate sleep disorders in older individuals.

Now, where does CBD come into all this? When you use medical cannabis or CBD, the cannabinoids present in the product will interact with the endocannabinoid system, attaching to receptors that can inhibit or excite certain reactions within the body. Some of the interactions may induce sleepiness or wakefulness.

 

Research on CBD and Insomnia

The thing you must consider next is what science has to say about the effect of CBD on sleep and insomnia. Presently, not much research has been done specifically CBD and sleep disorders. Here is a glimpse of what studies have uncovered:

  • A large case study in 2019 on the use of cannabidiol for anxiety and sleep led to some fascinating results [7]. Although the group size was small (72), most of the participants experienced a decrease in anxiety as well as improved sleep scores during the first month of the study. It should be noted that after that first month, their sleep scores fluctuated. The individuals who took between 300-600 mg of CBD had lower amounts of cortisol than those who did not use CBD at all. This suggests that CBD may help people reduce their stress levels, helping them relax. In turn, this may help you sleep better.
  • In a retrospective study on medical cannabis that was published in 2021, the researchers tracked 24,189 instances of cannabis use among 991 participants with insomnia [8]. The conclusion was that the Indica and Sativa strains of medical cannabis reduced symptoms of insomnia better than straight CBD. However, regardless of what the patient used (THC, CBD, or a THC: CBD blend), their insomnia improved.
  • A review of several clinical studies from 2022 found that when patients with Parkinson’s Disease used CBD, they had a reduction in sleep disturbances [4]. Moreover, individuals suffering from a variety of conditions and diseases experienced similar reductions in anxiety, which may have contributed to better rest.

 

How to Use CBD For Insomnia

Since CBD is not regulated by the FDA, there are a number of products out there and a wide range of dosages. You may need to test several methods of taking CBD to see which one works for you. Here are some ways to consume CBD for insomnia:

  • Tinctures and oils are often used sublingually
  • Sprays
  • Edibles, such as gummies
  • Vapes
  • Flowers
  • Capsules
  • Gels, creams, and other topical products

 

You will also need to figure out which dosage is right for you. Each method of delivery will have varying amounts of CBD per serving. Medical experts suggest starting with the lowest possible dosage. So, for example, a single CBD gummy. See how your body reacts first then increase the dosage by small increments.

Most of the time, your dosage is going to depend entirely on you. A friend taking the same CBD oil may need 300 mg, while you only need 75 mg. Be prepared to also figure out when to take CBD. Oils and tinctures are among the fastest routes, while edibles take a little longer to affect you, due to digestion.

Lastly, due to CBD interacting with some prescription medications, it is recommended that you discuss CBD with a medical professional before using it.

 

Looking For High-Quality CBD?

Does CBD help with insomnia? Research suggests that CBD has the potential to cause somnolence—or drowsiness—in those who take it. However, there is still much research to be done before it can be said for certain whether CBD helps with insomnia. That said, you can certainly try CBD for yourself to see what it may do for you.

Sugar Bottom Hemp has a wide variety of CBD products, including tinctures, topical creams, and edibles. Our CBD is extracted from organic hemp and is then tested in an independent third-party lab. Feel free to contact us with your questions. In the meantime, why not browse our shop to see what we have in store for you?

 

Sugar Bottom Hemp

 

Bibliography

1. Hirshkowitz, M., Whiton, K., Albert, S. M., Alessi, C., Bruni, O., DonCarlos, L., Hazen, N., Herman, J., Katz, E. S., Kheirandish-Gozal, L., Neubauer, D. N., O’Donnell, A. E., Ohayon, M., Peever, J., Rawding, R., Sachdeva, R. C., Setters, B., Vitiello, M. V., Ware, J. C., & Adams Hillard, P. J. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health, 1(1), 40–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010

2. What Is Insomnia? (2022, March 24). NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/insomnia

3. Suni, E. (2022, November 3). Insomnia. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia

4. Ortiz, Y. T., McMahon, L. R., & Wilkerson, J. L. (2022). Medicinal Cannabis and Central Nervous System Disorders. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.881810

5. De Gregorio, D., McLaughlin, R. J., Posa, L., Ochoa-Sanchez, R., Enns, J., Lopez-Canul, M., Aboud, M., Maione, S., Comai, S., & Gobbi, G. (2018). Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic pain. Pain, 160(1), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001386

6. Murillo-Rodríguez, E., Budde, H., Veras, A. B., Rocha, N. B., Telles-Correia, D., Monteiro, D., Cid, L., Yamamoto, T., Machado, S., & Torterolo, P. (2020). The Endocannabinoid System May Modulate Sleep Disorders in Aging. Current Neuropharmacology, 18(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159×17666190801155922

7. Shannon, S., Lewis, N., Lee, H., & Hughes, S. (2019b). Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. The Permanente Journal, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/18-041

8. Kuhathasan, N., Minuzzi, L., MacKillop, J., & Frey, B. N. (2021). The Use of Cannabinoids for Insomnia in Daily Life: Naturalistic Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(10), e25730. https://doi.org/10.2196/25730

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