We all want to get a good night’s sleep. But sometimes that just doesn’t happen. Whether its because of the temperature in the room, some noisy neighbors, or something that’s on your mind, it doesn’t really matter the cause because you’re still left tired the next day. Cannabidiol (CBD) may have the ability to help fix that. It won’t fix the temperature in your room or get your noisy neighbors to be quiet. But if you struggle to sleep because of anxiety or pain, there is a chance that CBD may be able to help. So, let’s talk about why that is. But first we should talk about what exactly CBD is.
Some of the things to know about CBD
It’s important to understand what something is because that helps you understand how something works. So, here are some of the main things that you need to know about CBD.
CBD is a chemical compound that is found in the cannabis plant, along with around 112 other similar chemical compounds. These compounds are more commonly known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids stand out in the crowd of chemical compounds because they are very similar to endocannabinoids. These are chemical compounds made by the human body to trigger the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is made of receptors that trigger particular processes in the body, like mood. Because cannabinoids and endocannabinoids are so similar in shape, cannabinoids are able to create a reaction with the ECS.
There is a specific reaction that one cannabinoid is capable of that you may know of already. That is because it is a psychoactive effect, creating the high that is so commonly associated with cannabis. The cannabinoid that does this is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is why THC comes up so often when discussing the legality of cannabis. It is important to remember that while THC has this effect, that doesn’t mean that all cannabinoids do. In fact, CBD doesn’t have any sort of psychoactive effect.
CBD can be found in all cannabis plants, but there is one that it is particularly common in. That would be hemp. The other kind of cannabis, marijuana, has CBD as well, but its levels vary so widely from plant to plant, it’s hard to say how much it really has. This is one of the three major reasons why CBD manufacturers prefer using hemp instead of marijuana to make their products. Another reason is that hemp only has 0.3% THC. That is such a small amount it is very unlikely that it will ever cause a high. Marijuana has a lot of THC. Definitely enough to cause a high. The third, and potentially the biggest reason, is that hemp is federally legal in the United States, but marijuana is not. This doesn’t mean that it is guaranteed to be legal in every state, but it is much more likely.
So, these are the main things that everyone should know about CBD. Now let’s talk about how it may be able to help with sleep.
Could CBD help with sleep?
We should start this section just by saying that the research on CBD is still ongoing. While there have been a fair number of studies completed and published it this research is still considered preliminary by the scientific community. So, it is good to take what we’re about to talk about with a grain of salt. That all being said, there has been some incredibly encouraging research published. Many studies have suggested that CBD may be able to help many people with many different things. So, let’s talk about some of those studies and how they relate to sleep.
One thing that can commonly keep people awake is anxiety and similar disorders. This is one of the areas where CBD may be able to help. There have been many studies on CBD and anxiety, but there is one in particular that seems especially relevant. It focuses on a child suffering from insomnia caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her doctor put her on a trial run of CBD to see if it may help soothe the symptoms of the PTSD. The child not only fell asleep easier, but she also stayed asleep longer and reported better quality of sleep overall. This, along with the many other studies on CBD, would suggest that CBD may be able to quite anxiety enough to encourage a better night’s sleep.
Another thing that may make sleep difficult is pain. Having any sort of soreness or inflammation can make it difficult to relax and, as a result, fall asleep. Luckily, this is another area that has been looked at a lot with CBD in research. There have been many studies, like this one and this one, that have been focused on pain specifically. There have been even more studies, like this one and this one, that have been focused on the idea that CBD may have anti-inflammatory effects. If CBD is able to help lessen these, then it may be able to help you fall asleep if pain and/or inflammation has been keeping you up.
There are somethings that should be noted if you are wanting to give CBD a try to help with sleep. One is that if you take too much or use low-quality CBD you may experience some negative side effects. These aren’t super serious side effects; they are generally along the lines of things like diarrhea and fatigue. However, they still are not fun, so it’s best to be careful.
Another thing that should be known when trying CBD is that certain medications don’t always work when mixed with the CBD. If you have a medication that comes with a grapefruit warning, it’s likely that CBD will stop it from working. So, be sure to talk with your doctor before starting on CBD.
So, if you’ve been struggling to sleep at night, for reasons other than outside ones, then top notch CBD may be able to help you. As mentioned, we’re only at the beginning of understanding the effects of CBD, but the research that is there would suggest that it may be able to help you have a better night’s sleep or help with pain with CBD arnica for injuries.