We all know what it’s like to not get a good night’s sleep — groggy, irritable, and just generally low-functioning. Good sleep is an essential part of being able to act like a normal human, and not getting enough of it can be beyond frustrating. If you’ve found your way here, you may have been wondering does CBD work for sleep? in your search for relief. Fortunately, the answer is — yes! There are many types of CBD for sleep available, and lots of our customers are effectively using CBD to get some solid shut-eye.
Let’s take a deeper look at why it’s so essential to get a good night’s sleep and how CBD can help you to accomplish that, night after night.
Why Sleep Is so Important — The Science
How many hours are you getting a night, on average? Unfortunately, for a lot of us, this number is lower than we’d like. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. If you just cringed thinking about how little sleep you’re getting in comparison to that number, you’re not alone — over 31% of adults in the US are getting regularly insufficient sleep.
These hours of sleep have bigger implications than just being groggy the next day. Those regular 7-9 hours of sleep a day not only help your body to rest and recoup energy for the next day — your sleep schedule also has effects on your memory, performance, decision-making abilities, mood, and overall health through the course of your lifetime. Did you know that adults who report getting short sleep are more likely to report 10 chronic health conditions? In fact, obtaining daily sufficient sleep is one of five key health-related behaviors for chronic disease prevention.
According to the CDC, not getting enough sleep is associated with an increased risk for a number of chronic diseases and conditions:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Depression
Not getting enough sleep also contributes to motor vehicle crashes and machinery-related injuries, causing substantial injury and disability each year.
Clearly, sleep plays a large role in many arenas of our lives and health. Let’s take a look at how CBD for sleep could help you maintain a healthy sleep routine.
Taking CBD for Sleep
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that has been growing in popularity at enormous rates in the last few years. CBD is a non-psychoactive compound from the cannabis plant — meaning it won’t get you ‘high.’ Many people are looking toward CBD as an answer to different problems related to health, ranging from getting better sleep, reducing anxiety, improving mood, and regulating appetite. But how exactly does CBD for sleep work to improve your sleep hygiene?
One of the biggest ways that CBD helps to regulate your sleep cycle is by affecting your brain’s cortisol production. Cortisol is a hormone widely known as the stress hormone, but it functions in myriad ways in the body. Typically, cortisol levels are highest in the morning. However, people with insomnia tend to have unusually high levels of cortisol in the evenings, causing them to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. CBD has been found to inhibit cortisol production in the brain, thereby decreasing stress and increasing the likelihood of falling asleep with ease.
Further, the science says CBD has been found to “improve sleep quality, decrease sleep disturbances, and decrease sleep onset latency,” or, the time it takes to fall asleep. Research also suggests that CBD can help with disorders including insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness disorder.
How Much CBD to Take for Sleep
The dose of CBD that helps you with sleep will be different for everyone based on your body composition, your tolerance to CBD, and the type of CBD you decide to take. We recommend to always start slow when introducing new things to your body. Initially, go for a low dose and see how it effects you. From there, you can increase the dose until you find what is right for you, without going overboard initially.
Does CBD Work for Sleep? — A Final Word
Thankfully, YES! CBD for sleep does work. And if you’ve been having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting those golden 7-9 hours a night, CBD could be just the thing you need. If you’ve still got any questions about CBD for sleep, or you’re ready to peruse our wide selection of CBD products, come on into any one of our 7 Mr. Nice Guys locations throughout Corpus Christi and talk to our knowledgeable staff. And as always, have a nice daze!
