DOES CBD MAKE YOU SLEEPY?

DOES CBD MAKE YOU SLEEPY?

There is not enough scientific evidence to prove that CBD may make you sleepy or boost your sleep quality. However, existing studies suggest that CBD oil might fight pain, anxiety, stress, and depression and help a person relax, translating to better sleep. This article explores how these effects might contribute to sleepiness.

CBD is one of the many cannabinoids harbored by cannabis plants. Unlike THC, it is not linked to the psychoactive effects of THC and will less likely make you ‘high,’ unless taken in high amounts with high THC levels. CBD oil has been embraced well in the CBD arena, and many people are using it for different things, including pain and inflammation, although there is not enough to prove that it is efficacious for these claims. Maybe you want to try CBD oil, but you are concerned about a few things, including whether it can help make you sleepy and promote your sleep quality. Here is all you need to understand about CBD oil and sleep.

The Basics About CBD

CBD is a chemical compound in cannabis plants and one of the many active elements of cannabis plants, also called cannabinoids. CBD can be extracted from marijuana or hemp plants, although most brands use hemp for manufacturing CBD to harmonize with the 2018 Farm Bill that deems hemp-derived CBD oil with less than 0.3% THC federally legal. You can enjoy CBD in tinctures, edibles (mints and gummies), topicals (serums, lotions, massage oils, serums, shampoos, and creams), capsules & softgels, and vapes (vape pens, cartridges, and tanks). Besides, each of these products comes in one or more of the following types of CBD;

  1. Full-spectrum CBD; comprises CBD, THC, terpenes, flavonoids, and additional cannabinoids, including CBC, CBG, CBT, and CBN, and is linked to a full entourage effect of multiple compounds.
  2. Broad-spectrum CBD; has as many compounds as full-spectrum CBD and has a full entourage effect of multiple compounds does not have the psychoactive THC.
  3. Isolate-based CBD; refers to purified CBD without additional cannabinoids, terpenes, or flavonoids. Because of the limited compounds, it is not linked to a full entourage effect. Still, it makes a suitable alternative for people who want to enjoy high CBD dosages or CBD without additional cannabinoids.

Can CBD Make You Sleepy to Boost Your Sleep?

Although many people are using CBD to help them sleep better, there is not enough evidence to show that it is efficacious for sleep. Many CBD products feature melatonin and other neurotransmitters for sleep, but even these have not been proved to improve sleep directly. Besides, additional ingredients such as ginkgo, lavender, and rosemary are added to CBD oil to promote sleep, but more studies are needed to prove these claims. Although CBD may not necessarily boost your sleep, it could help with a thing or two, indirectly improving sleep. The next section outlines the effect of CBD on pain and stress and how it influences sleep.

CBD for Pain

One primary reason why one might struggle to sleep is pain. Acute and chronic pain both influence sleep negatively and make it difficult for a person to experience quality sleep or sleep for long. Can CBD help with pain? In one review by Blake et al. (2017), CBD oil seemed to help manage chronic pain from cancer. The review looked at several studies on CBD oil for cancer, where different deliverable methods, including oils and capsules, were used for pain. Besides, Argueta et al. (2020) also recorded that CBD oil with THC could help reduce pain. By reducing pain, chronic or acute, CBD oil may promote sleep, but there is a need for further studies to prove the efficacy of CBD for sleep and pain.

CBD for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

The other thing that could deprive a person of quality sleep is stress, depression, or anxiety. The Covid-19 pandemic has been more than a stressor for many people. People have to deal with the loss and incapacitation of loved ones, loss of jobs, and economic difficulties because of the pandemic. Consequently, people are more stressed than ever before, and their sleep patterns and quality are also affected. Can CBD help reduce stress and depression to boost sleep? Shannon & Opila-Lehman (2016) notes that CBD oil can help reduce stress in people with post-traumatic stress disorder and help them sleep better. In another case study in 2019, Elms et al. (2019) noted that CBD oil helped people with PTSD experience reduced pressure and sleep better. Even though these studies offer promising findings, they involved small populations that may not generate significant statistical findings despite being real in the real world. Therefore, we cannot recommend CBD oil for stress, depression, anxiety, and better sleep until clinical research with significant statistical findings prove the cannabinoid efficacious for these claims.

CBD for Relaxation

Because of pain or other things, the body might not relax despite the much exhaustion, making sleeping even more difficult. CBD oil has been used for relaxation many times, and you cannot miss out on CBD items that claim to help you relax. Can CBD oil initiate relaxation ins a person? According to stacyscbdoil.com, CBD may help people relax, possibly boosting sleep. However, like with other claims on CBD oil, there is a need for more studies before recommending the cannabinoid for sleep and relaxation.

Can CBD Make You Sleepy During the Day?

If CBD oil can make you sleep at night, this would seem beneficial. However, if the cannabinoid induces sleepiness during the day, it would seem like a serious side effect. You might want to know whether taking CBD might make you feel sleepy over the day. There is not enough evidence to prove that CBD oil might induce daytime sleepiness.

Conclusion

People take CBD oil for several reasons, including boosting sleep. However, there is not enough evidence to prove that CBD oil might promote sleep at night. However, research shows that CBD oil might reduce pain, stress, anxiety, and depression and promote relaxation for better sleep. There is still not yet enough evidence to prove these claims true. Besides, we do not have enough studies to rely on and claim that CBD might make you sleepy during the day.

References

Argueta, D. A., Ventura, C. M., Kiven, S., Sagi, V., & Gupta, K. (2020). A Balanced Approach For Cannabidiol Use In Chronic Pain. Frontiers In Pharmacology11, 561.

Blake, A., Wan, B. A., Malek, L., Deangelis, C., Diaz, P., Lao, N., … & O’Hearn, S. (2017). A Selective Review Of Medical Cannabis In Cancer Pain Management. Ann Palliat Med, 6(Suppl 2), S215-S222.

Elms, L., Shannon, S., Hughes, S., & Lewis, N. (2019). Cannabidiol In The Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series. The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine25(4), 392-397.

Shannon, S., & Opila-Lehman, J. (2016). Effectiveness Of Cannabidiol Oil For Pediatric Anxiety And Insomnia As Part Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report. The Permanente Journal20(4).

Thomas, S. Benefits Of Hemp Oil.

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