Can CBD Help You Get More Sleep?

June 22, 2022Thomas Lowe

Anyone who’s ever suffered from a bout of insomnia or an ill-attempt to wind down after an over-caffeinated day will know how frustrating lack of sleep can be. Difficulty dozing off doesn’t only make for a restless night but an exhausted tomorrow, and can even pose serious long-term health consequences if left unmanaged such as increased risk of heart disease and a shortened life expectancy.

With 20% of UK adults having trouble falling asleep every single night and a further 36% experiencing a weekly sleep struggle, it’s not surprising that an increasing number of people are looking to wind down with the help of CBD. The use of cannabidiol-infused products has seen a staggering surge in popularity during recent years, taking over the global consumer market in the form of everything from gummies, to moisturisers, to pillows.

In the midst of such an overwhelmingly saturated supply of sleep-aid CBD products, just how beneficial is CBD for a good night’s sleep? And how does using CBD compare to more traditional sleep aids?

Rules and Regulations

2018 saw laws around medicinal cannabis change forever, after a lengthy campaign from the parents of two children suffering from epilepsy shifted certain legal measures involving UK residents’ rights to medicinal treatments and certain cannabidiols were officially passed as fit for public consumption.

Two years later, the conversation around CBD was taken a step further, with the UK Food Standards Agency introducing new classifications of the compound as a novel food and thus creating the opportunity for CBD products to become more regulated, more controlled, and more safe, improving their overall quality and calibre in the process.

Since then, there has been more room for scientists and healthcare professionals to research and experiment with CBD’s effects on sleep. We’re much closer to understanding just how CBD affects the brain, and how we can harness its properties to improve quality of life.

CBZzz…

A large portion of this research has focused on CBD’s impact on insomnia, a sleep disorder that involves difficulty with falling or staying asleep. One study from the journal Medicines treated 409 insomniatic participants with various combustion methods of the cannabidiol flower, including via vape, pipe, and joint. The group gave a starting rate of 6.6 on a scale of severity of symptoms (with 10 being the most severe). At the end of the trial, which spanned across two years, this rate had dropped to an average of 2.2, an overall decrease of 4.5.

Another study published in the Permanente Journal saw similar results, with 25mg CBD capsules administered to a group suffering with poor sleep over a one-month period; sleep scores improved in 66% of people, indicating a beneficial effect from the cannabidiol. However, the study also found that these improvements fluctuated over time, unlike the levels of anxiety within the same study, which remained at a steady decrease in 79% of the people involved.

Cannabidiols for Calm

CBD’s effects on anxiety and stress have also been heavily researched, providing more of an insight into how the compound may improve quality of sleep. Because sleep and stress disorders are so intricately linked, this might explain how and why CBD targets the root causes of insomnia; less anxiety and more relaxation will ultimately lead to a better night’s rest.

In 2019, the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University treated a group of teenagers with social anxiety disorder (SAD) with cannabis oil containing 300mg of CBD, daily, for four weeks. Symptoms were measured using the Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, both of which were significantly decreased by the end of the trial.

Some also think that CBD reduces cortisol, a stress hormone that usually peaks in the morning but is often rampant in insomnia sufferers at night time, causing restlessness.

As well as this, CBD has been shown to help ease symptoms of chronic pain, which is a huge factor in sleep disturbances. A 2021 review from Syracuse University hailed CBD as a “wonder drug”, detailing its positive effects on the levels of pain felt by a group in a controlled study of pain outcomes.

The Individual Effect

As with most medicines and drugs, the effects of CBD will vary drastically from person to person. Some may have a much higher tolerance than others and not feel as affected from an equal dosage - others may be on multiple different forms of medication, which can impact each other when taken together. Even factors such as your weight, body chemistry, metabolism, and the nature of your sleep struggles will have an effect on the way your body responds to the compound.

In most cases, people with larger bodies will typically require a higher dose to feel the effects. Fortunately, CBD is perfectly safe to consume in bigger amounts, so it might just take some trial and error before finding the right balance for each individual. However, genes and biochemistry will also have an impact on the way your body processes compounds like CBD; a genetic mutation such as higher levels of anandamide might mean that your body naturally has a more calming and recentering base level, meaning CBD will be less likely to affect you as the brain receptors that CBD would usually be reacting with are already busy dealing with anandamide.

Gender might also have an impact, but this could be down to the fact that women have been seen to experience the symptoms that CBD typically helps the most more often than men do, such as stress and anxiety.

Interestingly, some people even find that CBD does the opposite of induce drowsiness, giving them an alert and awake effect instead.

Melatonin Use

Although people have been using cannabis for thousands of years, both for medicinal and recreational purposes, there are other forms of sleep aids that people have more ‘traditionally’ turned to that grew in prominence during eras when CBD wasn’t so legally sound. One of the most popular of these is melatonin, a hormone that is already produced naturally in our bodies that helps us regulate our sleep cycles. As night falls, our brain receives a signal that it’s getting darker and our pineal gland gradually releases melatonin to make us feel ready for bed. As it starts getting lighter the following morning, melatonin levels gradually decrease to wake us up.

Melatonin can only be produced in dim light, which might explain why we might feel more drowsy in the dark or be kept awake by a bright phone or laptop screen. However, taking these supplements can give you an injection of the hormone and lull your brain into a more sleep-ready state.

Although there are no serious adverse side effects, melatonin supplements have been known to cause drowsiness, headaches, nausea and dizziness, and may also be passed into breastmilk so should be avoided in early mothers.

As melatonin has only been shown to target sleep signals and responses and while there is evidence that CBD targets deeper emotional issues such as anxiety and stress, some say that the former is more ideal for those who are struggling with circadian rhythm sleep disorders such as jet lag or shift work disorder, while the latter would be better suited to those who are experiencing unease in relation to their sleep disturbances.

How Can I Use CBD for Sleep?

CBD should be taken at your own discretion and it’s always best to seek the advice of a medical professional, but if you’re struggling to sleep and think you might benefit from trying it out, there are typically two ways you can take or use CBD:

Ingested: This could be in the form of anything from pure CBD oils and tinctures, which are dropped on the tongue or added to drinks, to CBD pills and capsules, to foods or ‘edibles’ that become infused with CBD, such as gummies, cookies, and candies. There are also a range of CBD-infused drinks on the market, such as coffee (although a CBD cappuccino might not be optimal if you’re struggling to sleep).

Inhaled: Vaping CBD is hugely popular, with the extract widely available to add to a host of vaporisers and vape pens.

CBD can also be applied topically in the form of creams, lotions and balms. People looking to wind down for the night with the help of some CBD might typically reach for a vape or a gummy, as the dosage will be easier to control and the effects will usually be quicker.

Whichever way you choose to explore, it’s always best to address the causes of your sleep issues as well as the remedy. Have a chat with a healthcare professional about your experiences and ask their advice on what supplements or medications would be best for you to try.