Sleep is one of our body’s most vital processes, and losing too much sleep can have serious adverse effects on your day-to-day life. As CBD begins to make its way into the public consciousness, many new users are beginning to wonder: does CBD make you sleepy?
Many CBD supporters stand by it as an alternative remedy to restless nights. While the full range of CBD’s benefits and potential side effects has yet to be discovered, many studies have looked into CBD’s effects on the sleep cycle. This article will give you all the information you need to know about CBD and how it affects sleep.
Table of Contents
What is CBD?
CBD belongs to a category of compounds called cannabinoids extracted from both marijuana and hemp plants. For the substance to be legally classified as “hemp,” it can contain no more than 0.3% THC. To put this in perspective, marijuana can contain up to 30% THC, so rest assured, the trace amounts of THC found in CBD products are not enough to get you “high.”
How Does CBD Work?
Before we can answer the question “Does CBD make you sleepy?” we first have to have a good understanding of how CBD works within the body and the factors that may affect how you will respond to it. These factors include, but are not limited to:
- Dosage
- Your unique body chemistry
- Lifestyle
- The type of CBD oil you take
Cannabidiol (CBD) works by interacting with a system found in all mammals called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system has many responsibilities, including the regulation of appetite, mood, and memory. The function we’ll be focusing on today is the ECS’s regulation of sleep and the circadian rhythm.
When taking CBD, your sleep may be affected in one of two ways. First, CBD appears to interact directly with the brain’s receptors that regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle (or its “circadian rhythm,” if you want to get fancy about it).
And second, CBD can potentially help alleviate soreness, inflammation, and tension, which are all factors that might keep one up at night. It is also worth mentioning that CBD interacts with the same receptors in the ECS that induce a “runner’s high” after exercise.
What Are the Effects of CBD?
As CBD grows in popularity, so does research on the role it plays in sleep. Let’s take a look at some of the most helpful ways CBD interacts with our ECS and bodies.
Promotes Natural Sleep
In the last ten years, growing public interest in CBD’s health benefits has encouraged many scientists and researchers to study its effects further. Several studies have questioned whether high doses of CBD can help promote more profound and more natural sleep. The results have been astounding.
Did you know that over 30% of adults in the United States have insomnia? That’s enough people across the country for experts to categorize insomnia as an epidemic!
In one 2006 study, researchers administered CBD to rats to understand how it affected their sleep-wake cycle. The study aimed to show that CBD can help users create a more balanced sleep-wake cycle by preventing daytime sleepiness and ensuring that our mind and body can get the rest it needs at night.
Relieves Soreness and Tension
Along with its many other responsibilities, one of the primary functions of the ECS is pain relief and management. While the research is limited, some studies have suggested that several positive effects may occur when CBD interacts with cannabinoid receptors.
Among these effects is a CBD-induced version of your body’s natural healing response to imbalance (i.e., soreness, tension, inflammation, etc.)
Promotes Healthy Eating Habits
THC-rich Marijuana has gained a reputation for the “munchies,” but that’s not what we mean when we say that CBD promotes healthy eating habits. When you ingest a large amount of THC, it binds with cannabinoid receptors in the brain, overring signals that tell our body we’ve had enough to eat. CBD doesn’t bind directly to these receptors. This means that you feel natural hunger but are still able to tell when you’ve had enough.
You may be wondering how this is possible. The internal balance that the ECS maintains extends to our appetites and moods. When we boost the effectiveness of our ECS, it becomes better at combating the symptoms such as an upset stomach. This allows us to feel hunger if our body needs fuel!
Creates a Sense of Focus
CBD can help center the mind and increase our awareness. It does this by offering a helping hand to our brain. Neurotransmitters are natural compounds that bind with specific receptors in the brain to regulate and manage brain cell functions).
These compounds regulate most of the body’s most essential functions, including pain, appetite, sleep, mood, and more. Neurotransmitters also affect sensory and motor functions such as attention, energy, attention, memory, and focus. An irregular supply of neurotransmitters can cause side effects such as:
- Difficulty with focus or concentration
- Depression
- Heightened nervousness or paranoia
- Restlessness
Endocannabinoids share many similar properties with phytocannabinoids (compounds extracted from plants, such as CBD). Ingesting CBD may help boost one’s internal cannabinoid supply. This supports the endocannabinoid system’s function, increases the consumer’s ability to focus, and reduces symptoms that may cause mental, physical, and emotional distress.
Calms Racing Thoughts and Mood
One of CBD’s most well-known benefits is the relaxation it offers. CBD’s calming effects are thanks to its interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Discovered by scientists in the 1990s, the ECS regulates many of our body’s essential functions. The ECS provides a sense of interior balance and stability called “homeostasis.”
When CBD enters the body, it interacts with the ECS to promote a calm and relaxing sensation. This, in turn, relaxes the consumer’s state of mind, making it easier for them to release stress and tension in their body.
Does CBD Make You Sleepy?
So, the big question: does CBD make you sleepy? Interestingly enough, cannabidiol (CBD), unlike its counterpart THC, does not work as a sedative. This misconception may be due to CBD consumers noting that they have a relaxed night’s sleep. While CBD can help you sleep, you won’t have to worry about powerful sedative effects if you enjoy it while driving or working at night.
CBD won’t cure insomnia or night terrors. However, it is unique in the way that it treats restless nights. CBD attacks restlessness at the source by soothing states of mind keeping you from a full night’s sleep, such as:
- Overly active thoughts
- Physical tension
- Discomfort
- Soreness
- Worry, nervousness
Can CBD Help You Sleep?
In higher doses, CBD is known to increase a specific neurotransmitter in the brain known as Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA).
When the central nervous system becomes overstimulated, we feel a stress response. GABA is best known as the chemical brake-pedal to this stress response. GABA’s job in the brain is to mitigate our natural fight-or-flight response. That fight-or-flight instinct is wonderful for being chased down by a bear, but it can sometimes get in the way of casual situations. This is how CBD helps induce a sense of relaxation, peace, and calmness that can aid you in falling asleep.
For those looking to gain CBD’s sleep-supporting benefits, we recommended a higher dose of CBD as you begin to wind down for bed. Full-spectrum CBD contains the full natural range of cannabinoids found in the hemp plant (0.3% or less THC). Full-spectrum products’ effects are slightly more potent than those of CBD isolate.
Best CBD Products for Sleep
Here at Hollyweed, we believe quality is the most important factor when shopping for CBD product. That’s why we pride ourselves on transparency with our customers. To ensure open communication and total clarity, we test all our products. A third-party lab analyzes and verifies them with a Certificate of Analysis (COA).
Our products are 100% gluten and cruelty-free. There are no artificial colors or flavors, added GMOs, or animal byproducts. All of our products are also fully vegan! There is only a minimal amount of THC in all our CBD products (0.3% or less). Nothing we sell should create the intoxicated feeling often associated with THC and marijuana.
If you’re using CBD for sleep, a great way to wind down for the night is with our CBD flower strains “Bubba Kush” and “Northern Lights.” Perhaps you’re looking to improve your sleep without smoking. In that case, we suggest our CBD body lotion. You can rub it on as a part of your nighttime skincare routine before bed. You can also drop a few drops of CBD oil into your dinner to help settle your mind before bedtime.
Related: Types of CBD: The Scoop on Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum and Isolate
Final Thoughts – Does CBD Make You Sleepy
If you’re considering adding CBD to your sleep routine, it’s essential to determine the correct dosage for you. We generally recommend starting with 10mg – 20mg twice daily. There is no ‘official serving size’ or standard dosage. The advisable amount varies based on a handful of individual factors mentioned earlier.
Your dosage may need to be adjusted based on how you feel to find the type and amount of CBD that works for you. Consider speaking to a health professional before adding these products to your routine.
