While there are plenty of medications and forms of therapy that can help people live with insomnia and other sleep disorders, one has garnered an enormous amount of attention: CBD.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the components found in marijuana. Unlike its close cousin THC, CBD does not produce the same kind of high. CBD has a lot of healthy properties that assist treat various ailments.
Not only is CBD unable to evoke a psychoactive reaction when taken in the correct dosage, but it has been shown that the product can reverse or counteract the euphoric effects THC provides.
CBD product is typically extracted and sold as oil in different amounts of concentration and potencies. It is also distributed via vaping cartridges, capsules and tablets, baked goods, and as an additive to herbal medicine.
In the last few years, CBD has become the center of the conversation in a variety of industries, including medicine, pharmaceuticals, and general retail.
Even though CBD has been available and around for quite some time, it has gained immense traction in the last couple of years.
Although CBD has been mostly respected in its massive positive effects in aiding those diagnosed with epilepsies and seizures, as seen with the FDA-approved Epidiolex drug, the product is working its way up to treat more medical conditions.
As noted in this article from Kyro, some of the most talked-about benefits of CBD are – managing and treating pediatric epilepsies, sexual health, ADHD, and sleep disorders.
While many people either brush off their sleepy state or use multiple methods to aid their conditions, sleep disorders have become one of the medical categories that could be tackled with the involvement of CBD.
Some of the common sleep disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and general sleep deprivation.
Common symptoms of sleep disorders are excessive daytime sleepiness, irregular breathing, difficulty falling asleep, increased movement during sleep, and an irregular sleep and wake cycle.
With all of these different kinds of sleep disorders and symptoms in mind, CBD can help manage these various medical conditions.
It is already common knowledge that CBD has a major involvement with the receptors located in the endocannabinoid system. These receptors can help the human body achieve a variety of beneficial effects, such as homeostasis, which is necessary for a person to have a healthy sleep cycle, as noted in this article from Daily CBD Mag.
CBD can be useful in promoting wakefulness during the day and creating a better and more healthy sleep cycle at night, even in less ideal conditions, such as an uncomfortable mattress or a noisy atmosphere.
What is mostly overlooked is that CBD can stimulate alertness and reduce daytime sleepiness, which is important for overall daytime performance and improves sleep health.
Multiple studies have been conducted to detect if CBD is as effective, if not more, in aiding those diagnosed with a sleep disorder compared to typical pharmaceutical drugs available currently.
A 2019 study published in The Permanente Journal found that after administering CBD oil for a month to 103 adults with sleep issues, about 70% of participants reported better sleep.
Another study conducted in 2018 wanted to investigate the effects of CBD on insomnia specifically, a sleep disorder that can make it difficult to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause one to wake up too early and not be able to fall back asleep.
The researchers gathered data from over 400 participants using an app that recorded the quality of their sleep every day. Results showcased that CBD significantly reduced insomnia symptoms.
Disruptions in sleep can also be a tell-tell sign of another major medical condition, such as general Chronic Pain, Parkinson’s, Anxiety, and PTSD. CBD can take care of these underlying conditions by achieving better sleep results, making sure the patients feel relaxed.
For example, CBD can help reduce REM behavior disorder, a condition that causes people to act out physically during REM sleep and improve overall sleep quality for those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In a way, CBD is very effective in balancing out the human body, be it for a single sleep disorder or multiple conditions that include a sleep disorder.
Here is what Verena von Pfetten, a co-editor of the New York-based marijuana life-style magazine Gossamer has to say about CBD: “ With CBD, I can have an even amount of sleep, and avoid significant periods of stress. This is about consistently keeping your body at a regular equilibrium.”
Researchers and medical professionals have been curious about the relationship between CBD and sleep disorders due to the negative impacts of current pharmaceutical drugs.
Many medical professionals today believe CBD to be much safer to use in the long-term compared to the typical medications for sleep disorders. Sleeping pills and other therapies are effective short-term but then cause a series of unpleasant side-effects and possible addiction.
These typical drugs that all licensed physicians are capable of prescribing are still effective, but CBD can circumvent the addictive quality of those medications since it can battle other addictions, such as tobacco, cocaine, heroin, and opioids.
According to Gretchen Lidicker, the author of CBD Oil: Everyday Secrets: A Lifestyle Guide To Hemp-Derived Health and Wellness, while present sleep supplements, such as Melatonin, are helpful, they do have a different effect on the brain and body.
For Melatonin specifically, Lidicker noted that the drug sends a signal to the human body that it is time to go to sleep by increasing the naturally occurring levels of melatonin present in the body.“CBD appears to help with sleep because of its anti-anxiety properties and ability to promote relaxation,” she claims.
Although the research has only started, the findings on CBD’s efficacy to various medical conditions, including sleep disorders, have been promising.
While considering consuming CBD to help with a sleep disorder or any ailment, one should make sure to consult a doctor.
While there are several ways one can achieve a healthier sleep cycle and battle one’s diagnosed sleep disorder, one should consider CBD as an option, once approved by a health professional. This can help avoid daily intake of strong supplements out there that are harmful to the human body.
