cbd | can it help with sleep?
May 12, 2020
That dreaded word for the night owls of the world. SLEEP.
Do you find it hard getting off to sleep when your head hits the pillow? To wind down after a long day? To stay asleep? Maybe your eyes are getting heavy just reading this. Are you getting enough sleep each night and how can we manage symptoms of restlessness so we’re getting enough of this essential beauty rest? According to ‘Why We Sleep’ by Mathew Walker (British scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley), we should all be aiming to get an average of 7-9 hours a night, and that’s not negotiable! We bet you’re not getting anywhere near those numbers each night. Yes we can hear you saying ‘I function fine on 6!’, but Walker expresses the importance of sleep, saying even if we’re getting the right amount of exercise and eating well, if we’re compromising on our shut eye, then we’re putting ourselves at much higher risk of falling ill.
Due to the many stimulants activating our brains throughout the day, it can be hard to wind down after journeys on sweaty tubes, hours spent staring at our computer screens, and copious amounts of coffees drunk to keep us awake in order to squeeze in an extra hour of work – it’s no wonder we all feel fried by Friday!
The cannabis plant is filled with hundreds of different compounds, several of which have been studied for decades for their therapeutic benefits. One way CBD may help with sleep is by easing the feelings of anxiety. A recent study of 103 patients given high quality CBD to take daily over the space of 3 months showed that patients experienced both less problems relating to both sleep and anxiety.[1] Only five patients discontinued treatment within the first two weeks because of fatigue and drowsiness.
A crossover study comparing CBD with nitrazepam (a popular anti anxiety pharmaceutical) found that high-dose CBD at 160 mg had the same effects on patients suffering from insomnia[2], but CBD has shown to be safer than nitrazepam. Another crossover study showed that plasma cortisol (the stress hormone) levels decreased more significantly when given CBD. Much of the research that has been done up to now suggests that CBD helps us fall asleep and stay asleep, due to its ability to ease anxiety and stress.
Having tried and tested the product ourselves as well as spoken to countless people who have improved their sleep quality and in turn their overall quality of life, we believe that adding CBD into your daily ritual helps greatly with quieting the narrative of the mind. For more tips on how to sleep better, check this Instagram post and pop back for more support coming soon.
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