CBD For Insomnia: Does It Work?

Have you tried CBD for Insomnia yet? Well, having sound sleep is needed for overall wellbeing and health. Experts also recommend having at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Good sleep makes sure that you are well-rested and have energy for your next day. Quality sleep and rest is also the reason for memory formation, helps with repair, growth of the tissues and muscles, and also can prevent sickness.

Unfortunately, being able to fall asleep and stay that way can get difficult for certain sleepers. Around 70% of people in America have reported that they haven’t been sleeping for the recommended hours. And about one-third of the population sleeps less than 6 hours per day.

The solutions for having better sleep vary from person to person. The possible approach includes natural sleep aids like CBD, prescription medicines, and enhanced sleep hygiene. One of the constantly increasing and famous strategies for being able to sleep better is by taking CBD which is a cannabis derivative.

CBD has been mostly used for decreasing anxiety and improving sleep. However, when we speak of CBD regulations in the USA they are limited. And there is much-needed research for determining CBD effects on sleep and other mental and physical conditions.

What is CBD?

People have been using the Cannabis plant for several recreational and medicinal uses. The compound called cannabinoid is responsible for the effect on the brain. The two abundant cannabinoids are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBD and THC both have psychoactive effects, but the way they impact our brain is different. Different from THC, CBD can be non-impairing. People also use CBD for several reasons and this includes anxiety, seizures, and pain.

Some of the studies also show that CBD can help in better sleep. Here we shall take a look at the way CBD works for insomnia.

CBD for Insomnia: How Does It Help With Better Sleep?

CBD or cannabidiol has been one of the primary cannabinoids that are found in the plant. Cannabinoids have an interaction with the endocannabinoid systems that helps the body maintain a balanced state as well as stability that we also know as homeostasis.

Different from THC, CBD doesn’t have any psychoactive effects which means that one doesn’t get high. There is a range of health applications for instance reducing seizures, in patients suffering from epilepsy and also relief from chronic pains by various health conditions.

Some of the anecdotal evidence and research suggest that CBD might also help in sound sleep. Here is everything that you must know about using CBD for Insomnia.

Must Read: Aspen Green CBD Review 2021

What does the research say on CBD for Insomnia?

For understanding, if CBD will help in improving your sleep, we need to first understand what are the reasons that cause poor sleep.

Many issues can be the reason for bad sleep. And insomnia can be caused because of:

1. Mental health conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
2. Medicines that cause sleep disturbance your sleep and wake cycle.
3. Some physical conditions like pain and restless leg syndromes.
4. Caffeine when one consumes it later in the day.
5. Specific environmental factors like an uncomfortable bed or loud noises.

In case your insomnia has been caused by some kind of external factors or conditions similar to it, CBD might help treat the reasons responsible for sleeplessness. While the research over CBD is in the initial stages, some of the researches also suggest that CBD might be able to treat anxiety too.

Some of the trusted sources that had been published in the year 2019, look at if CBD can improve your sleep or given some relief from anxiety. The studies had involved 72 subjects, and about 47 had been experiencing anxiety or poor sleep.

The participants in the study were given 25 mg of CBD as a capsule every day. During the first month itself, 79 % of people had noticed low anxiety levels, and 66 % of people had reported getting better sleep.

The pain that can also cause some of the sleep issues might be helped through CBD. One of the 2018 studies for frontiers in Pharmacology had noticed that there is fair data and evidence that supports the fact that CBD can soothe the pain. The authors had also noted that this happens because reduced pain through CBD can also improve sleep.

The other studies also let us know about CBD’s impact on sleep cycles. Another trusted source from 2014 had looked at around 4 patients that had Parkinson’s Disease. And they had found that CBD might improve some of the symptoms of REM which is asleep behavior disease, and RBD is the disorder where a person behaves out of dreams. RBD has also been associated with bad sleep as well as nightmares.

Then the 2017 study had noted that CBD can help treat RBD. And this shows to be the potential cure for excessive sleepiness during the daytime.

Another symptom of insomnia is Grogginess, and can also get affected through CBD. In another 2014 trusted research, it was seen that CBD was able to promote better wakefulness, depending on the animal and human research.

The authors have noted that they were not exactly sure on how CBD had promoted this in some of the examples. Therefore in short we can say that:

1. Main causes of your sleepiness.
2. Excessive sleep during the daytime.
3. Any sort of grogginess.

How does CBD for Insomnia Work?

As we see that some of the studies have concluded that CBD can improve sleep that isn’t always able to provide more information on how does this works. Most of these studies we mentioned have the main emphasis on the need for more research over CBD before one can completely understand the way it has an impact on sleep.

However, as we have said above, several pieces of research say CBD can also improve sleep as it handles the root cause of insomnia. As more of the research comes in times ahead, we shall be able to learn more about the way CBD can assist with better sleep.

Must Read: Does CBD Oil Relieve Chronic Pain?

Ways to use CBD for Insomnia

There are several ways by which we can consume CBD. There are different forms of how CBD can get consumed, including:

1. Vape concentrates.
2. Oils or tinctures.
3. Pills, capsules.
4. Edibles and Gummies.

Usually, CBD vapes are one of the ways that get CBD faster into the system when compared with any other. However, there isn’t a lot of research done over CBD vaping and understand that vaping generally, can also have some respiratory risks.

The CBD dose that one uses, and your time of consumption is going to depend on several factors. This includes your body chemistry, weight, and nature of the sleeping issues that are going to affect the way CBD will work for you. Understand that a specific amount that works for one might be completely different for another person.

Most of the clinical trials over CBD for sleep had involved people that consumed 25 mg to around 1500 mg each day. Therefore it’s recommended that you begin with the lower dosage and slowly increase the amount as you are finding something that works well for you.

Most CBD research for sleep and anxiety had shown that many patients don’t even notice an instant difference. The study done in the year 2019 had said that it had taken more than one month for the subjects for noticing some differences. Therefore make sure that you are being patient and remember that one is unlikely to have immediate results.

Safety Concerns and Side Effects of CBD

The trusted sources had seen several studies over safe usage of CBD had found that it is a relatively safer treatment. Most side effects linked are uncommon, but you might experience some minor ones that we mention right here:

Side Effect:

1. Appetite changes.
2. Weight changes.
3. Diarrhea.
4. Fatigue.

Although CBD had usually been called safe, the study in 2019 that was done over mice also had concerns on the potential of CBD for liver issues. CBD can also interact with some of the medications that you are taking. Therefore, make sure that you talk to a doctor before you begin using it.

Presently, FDA hasn’t guaranteed the effectiveness, quality, or safety of OTC CBD-based products. However, for protecting public health, they might be able to take action against such CBD companies that are making unfounded claims of its effect on health.

As FDA presently doesn’t regulate the products with CBD in the similar manner it does for dietary supplements or drugs, the companies also tend to misrepresent or mislabel the products. This means that you must have your detailed research done before you buy it and have a good idea of the quality of such products.

Before you go ahead and get products to form a company that contains CBD, search for it well. Make sure you are avoiding the companies that have a history of mislabeling their products and choose the one that had third-party testing done and showcase their results as well.

As per Mayo Clinic, doctors can often recommend using medications for better sleep for a few weeks. While CBD or other medicines can be useful, it’s critical that you also work on finding the root cause of the sleep issues.

There can be a need for physical examination, for changing the sleep habits, or changing the medications. Speak with your doctor in case you are facing issues with your sleep.

Must Read: Alpilean Review: Legit or Fake, Know from Real Users 

Other CBD Uses:

CBD also has many properties that can make it an appealing therapeutic agent. Most researchers are interested in the impact of CBD on:

• Anxiety.
• Various Psychiatric disorders.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Body inflammation.

The very first medicine that was CBD-based and got FDA approved is Epidolex and doctors make use of it for various kinds of epilepsy. Then there is another medicine called Sativex which is the combination of THC and CBD both and can help people with easing out spasticity for people having multiple sclerosis. However, FDA hasn’t approved these for using it in the USA yet.

Some researchers believe CBD can also help in preventing or treating:

1. Chronic Pain
2. Opioid Addiction.
3. Depression.
4. Acne and some other inflammatory skin conditions.
5. High blood pressure.
6. Diabetes.
7. Nausea that’s the result of chemotherapy.

However, CBD capacity for addressing issues stays unclear and there is a need for further analysis.

Other Sleeping Aids

One can also go for specific treatments like behavioral therapy. Some of the effective procedures for insomnia include:

1. Relaxation Techniques
2. Stimulus Control Therapies
3. Sleep Restriction Therapies
4. Sleep Hygiene Practice
5. Paradoxical Intention Therapies
6. Cognitive Restructuring

CBD For Insomnia: Can It Interact With Prescription Medications?

CBD might interact with other medicines that the person takes. Specifically, CBD does slow down the capacity of breaking down some medicines by the liver. Additionally, using CBD and other supplements and herbs can also make the patients very sleepy.

So before you start taking CBD for insomnia, speak to the doctor first. Let the doctor know if you have been taking any supplements, herbs, or medicines. This will assess when CBD can cause some negative interactions. This way your doctor will be able to inform you when CBD will be the viable option for meeting the health goals.

Must Read: The Turmeric CBD Oil Review 

Final Thoughts on CBD for Insomnia

In today’s world, CBD is one of the common health conditions. The doctors usually recommend some behavioral changes and at times prescription drugs. Some people can try dealing with sleep issues through CBD. For the most part, CBD seems safe, and although research on the effects, for the long term still stays limited. Doctors stay unsure on if CBD can help people sleep better, there are pieces of evidence now that suggest that it can improve the duration of sleep. Determining some of the effective ways for taking CBD and the right amount one needs to take for sleeping well, does need better research.