Are you tossing and turning at night, desperately seeking the relief of actually getting the rest you need? If you've been struggling with sleepless nights, you're not alone. Millions of people worldwide battle insomnia, but there's a promising ally in the fight against sleep deprivation: CBD for sleep.¹ In this blog, we're giving you a closer look into the world of CBD and exploring how it might help you achieve that good sleep you’ve been missing. If you’re exploring natural sleep remedies with CBD, we’ve got you covered. From understanding the relationship between CBD and sleep to practical tips for optimizing your sleep routine with CBD, here’s the lowdown.
UNDERSTANDING CBD AND SLEEP
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid found in hemp that doesn't produce the intoxicating high associated with THC. Instead, it offers a range of potential therapeutic benefits that all support sleep by modulating the endocannabinoid system, or ECS.²
While many people use THC as a sleep aid since it makes you sleepy, CBD works a little differently. CBD offers a range of potential benefits without altering your state of mind. Instead, it appears to modulate the ECS, promoting balance and homeostasis. That said, CBD won't make you instantly pass out like a traditional sleeping pill, but its potential to improve sleep lies in its connection to some important background processes in our bodies.
The ECS is a complex network of receptors and neurotransmitters found throughout the body, including the brain. It plays a crucial role in regulating various physiological processes, including your sleeping and waking cycle, immune and pain responses, mood, and more.
When it comes to sleep, CBD's impact is more nuanced. It doesn't act as a sedative, forcing you into unconsciousness. Instead, it may help address underlying factors contributing to sleep disturbances, such as anxiety, pain, and irregular sleep patterns.
CBD's interaction with the ECS is thought to influence the following aspects of sleep:
ANXIETY REDUCTION
Evidence suggests that CBD has a balancing effect on the ECS, which contributes to CBD's anti-anxiety effects.³ If you're lying awake at night thinking about that awkward interaction you had with a coworker or a deadline you're close to missing, there's a good chance you're also struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep.⁴ If you deal with a lot of racing thoughts or worries at bedtime, CBD may offer a potential solution to quelling those feelings, helping you to relax and unwind comfortably, allowing you to get the sleep you need.
PAIN MANAGEMENT
One thing that prevents a lot of people from restful sleep is pain. It's challenging to fall asleep if you can't get comfortable, and the cause can be anything from chronic pain and inflammation to injuries and minor aches and pains. Pain makes it uncomfortable to rest, but resting is the best thing you can do for an injury.⁵ Sleep is restorative and necessary for healing your body and feeling your best the following day.⁶ Evidence suggests that CBD's anti-inflammatory properties help alleviate pain, which may, in turn, allow you to sleep more comfortably.⁷
SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE REGULATION:
Sleeping is part of your natural daily cycle or circadian rhythm.⁸ While it can be affected by things in your environment like light, darkness, and caffeine, this cycle determines when your body releases certain chemicals that wake you up in the morning or help you get to sleep at night.
Sometimes, your circadian rhythm can get thrown out of whack, especially if you're jetlagged from traveling, working the graveyard shift for the first time, or struggling with a sleep disorder. Evidence suggests that the ECS plays a role in regulating your sleep-wake cycle.⁹ Since further evidence indicates that CBD may balance the ECS, it may promote a predictable circadian rhythm, allowing for more consistent and restorative sleep.
REM SLEEP ENHANCEMENT:
Some studies suggest that CBD could increase the time spent in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.¹⁰ REM is the shortest stage of sleep, but it's associated with vivid dreaming, memory, emotional processing, and cognitive restoration. When you don't get enough REM sleep, you might struggle with memory, and you might struggle with different emotions that may keep you awake other nights.¹¹ Since CBD might increase your time spent in REM, using it at bedtime might help you get more quality sleep.
In short, sleep quality and CBD go hand in hand. While CBD doesn't induce sleep in the same way as a sleeping pill, its interaction with the ECS offers a promising avenue for addressing sleep-related issues. CBD may contribute to a more restful and rejuvenating night's sleep by promoting relaxation, pain relief, and balance within the ECS.
USING CBD TO IMPROVE SLEEP: 8 PRACTICAL TIPS
Now that we have a basic understanding of CBD, let's talk about a few steps you can take to incorporate it into your sleep routine to get a better night's rest.
1. START WITH A CONSISTENT ROUTINE
Consistency is vital when it comes to using CBD for sleep. Your endocannabinoid system (ECS) thrives on balance, so sticking to a schedule is essential. Consider incorporating CBD throughout your day to encourage your body to find balance, even during high stress or pain. Many people take CBD both in the morning and at night.
However, CBD isn't the one-size-fits-all approach to sleep. Healthy sleep routines to prepare for sleep are arguably as important as the sleep itself. Ensuring you're practicing good sleep hygiene by following a nightly bedtime routine, waking up at the same time every day, avoiding naps and caffeine, and ensuring your room is comfortable are all great places to start.¹²
Additionally, you may limit your artificial light exposure and unplug from electronics up to two hours before bedtime to get yourself in the right headspace for a good night's sleep. Reducing exposure to light, loud noises, extreme temperatures, and other sleep disruptors can all help create an environment that signals your body that it's time to sleep and wake naturally.
2. TAKE CBD IN THE MORNING AND AT NIGHT
Taking CBD in the morning and night aligns with our body's natural circadian rhythms and hormone production.¹³ Your ECS regulates the release of hormones like cortisol in the morning and melatonin at night. By using CBD in both the morning and evening, you support ECS balance, ensuring that these hormones are released at the right times.
Morning CBD use aids in a balanced cortisol surge for waking up alert and focused. It may also set you up for success when you've got a stressful day ahead of you or want to stay on top of pain. We recommend our Energy Gummies in the morning for a pleasant boost. On the other hand, evening CBD use promotes a gradual increase in melatonin for easier sleep initiation. You might like our Calm Gummies a few hours before bedtime to help you relax and unwind at the end of the day.
3. ENJOY A SOOTHING CUP OF TEA BEFORE BED
Incorporating CBD-infused tea into your bedtime routine can help address things like anxiety, inflammation, and sleep issues. More importantly, tea itself may also have a few sleep-improving qualities.¹⁴ For example, tea preparation is ritualistic, which feels soothing and may help reduce stress and anxiety.¹⁵ The calming effects of CBD combined with the relaxing ritual of tea preparation can create the perfect pre-sleep atmosphere.
4. SET YOUR ROOM UP FOR SUCCESS
As we mentioned, sleep hygiene is essential to a restful sleep. Ensuring you have a comfortable bed, a cozy temperature, and minimal artificial light or sound is a great way to convince your brain to think it's time for sleep. Many people also find relief in a little white noise, like a fan blowing on low or a sound machine.¹⁶
Some people even include aromatherapy with a humidifier. Aromatherapy is known for its relaxation benefits thanks to the effects of terpenes, and when you add CBD to the mix, you get a potent sleep aid.¹⁷ Consider using essential oils in relaxing scents like lavender and a few drops of CBD tincture in a humidifier.¹⁸ The soothing sound and the aromatherapy allows you to inhale CBD and soothing scents for a restful night's sleep.
5. TARGET STUBBORN PAIN WITH CBD TOPICALS
Sometimes, pain can keep you up at night. CBD topicals help provide targeted relief to areas of discomfort, allowing you to rest peacefully without the interference of persistent pain. The best part is that CBD topicals last a long time without having to be reapplied, so apply them directly to the affected areas a few minutes before bed and get cozy. You can enjoy a full night's rest without waking up in the middle of the night in discomfort.
6. COMBAT ANXIETY WITH CBD SLEEP TINCTURES
CBD tinctures are your best bet if anxiety or stress are keeping you up at night. Our CBD Sleep tinctures are full-spectrum and harness the power of cannabinoids like CBN, CBG, and CBD, along with natural terpenes that work together in an entourage effect to help you find relief.¹⁹
Better yet, they're absorbed sublingually before you swallow them, allowing for a rapid onset of effects for quicker relief. While edibles may take up to an hour to kick in, tinctures take hold in minutes. Reach for them before bed, especially if you're stressed or anxious.
7. USE CBD EDIBLES FOR THE LONG HAUL
If you're dealing with both stress and pain, you might enjoy CBD gummies. Since edibles are slow-release and processed differently in the body, they offer long-lasting effects that may help you quiet anxious thoughts and fall asleep while suppressing inflammation as you sleep to prevent you from waking up in pain during the night. Our CBD Sleep gummies are formulated with other functional ingredients like Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, and Chamomile that may help improve sleep. They offer a slow-release effect, helping you stay asleep throughout the night and wake up feeling refreshed.
8. DON'T FORGET MELATONIN FOR STUBBORN SLEEP ISSUES
Melatonin is a natural hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles and is responsible for feeling sleepy before bed. It’s one of the best sleep aids with CBD since the combo can provide a dual-pronged approach to sleep improvement, helping you fall asleep faster and enjoy more restful slumber naturally. Our Sleep + Melatonin Capsules are a great choice if you're feeling jetlagged or looking to use CBD for insomnia or other sleep-related conditions that are affecting your natural sleeping and waking patterns. Formulated with CBD, CBN, CBG, melatonin, lemon balm, and passion flower, use them to help you reset your sleep schedule and feel your best.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In your quest for better sleep, consider incorporating CBD bedtime routines into your lifestyle with these amazing CBD products. CBD offers a natural, holistic approach to improving sleep quality, and with the eight practical tips we've discussed, you're well on your way to achieving more restful nights. Don't let sleepless nights drag you down; feel better with CBD that's made to work as hard as you do.
This article was originally written on behalf of Lazarus Naturals, a brand stocked by WebCBD.
