Why is good sleep so important?
A good night’s sleep is vital for a healthy brain, sleep researchers indicate. Because when you sleep, your brain flushes itself clean, so to speak. Sleeping well gives your brain the time and opportunity to clean itself. In the process, emotions from the day before, among other things, are processed and memories are given a place, so you remember what you learned that day. Your muscles and organs also get a chance to recover during sleep.
Simply put, then, we could say that just about our entire body and all the processes within it that are (literally) vital, recover during sleep. So are you not sleeping long enough or is your sleep of poor quality? Then your body cannot recover properly. And that can lead to a host of health problems, such as:
- Increased risk of overweight, obesity, diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, depression and dementia
- Cognitive problems such as decreased ability to concentrate and remember things poorly
- Stress, fatigue and irritability
- Behavioral problems
What is CBD and what does it do?
CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol. This is a substance from the cannabis plant and is therefore also called a cannabinoid. A cannabis plant contains as many as a hundred different cannabinoids, of which THC and CBD are the best known. Where THC is known for its psychoactive properties and giving you a “high,” CBD actually calms your body down. CBD is usually taken as oil, but can also be used in the form of capsules, skin products or edibles. CBD products (with full spectrum CBD) may contain traces of THC (less than 0.05%). However, you will not notice any of the THC this is therefore completely legal.
When you ingest CBD, it enters your bloodstream. From there, it stimulates the action of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS was only discovered in the early 1990s and much is still unknown. What we do know is that the system is closely linked to the central nervous system and plays an important balancing role in regulating appetite, metabolism, memory, sleep, motor control, the immune system, pleasure, pain and temperature regulation, among others.
The ECS owes its name to the fact that it works with receptors and substances that are almost identical in molecular structure to those in the cannabis plant. Thus, these are endogenous (endo in Greek) cannabinoids: endocannabinoids. Because of this, the system also recognizes CBD from cannabis as a body substance and can put the CBD you ingest to good use in regulating numerous body processes.
CBD oil and sleep: scientific insights
Given the fact that ingesting CBD improves the functioning of the ECS, and the ECS plays an important role in regulating sleep, it is not illogical to hypothesize that ingesting CBD helps one sleep better. In addition, many people report that CBD helps them sleep better. However, a logical hypothesis is not yet a truth, and anecdotal evidence is not scientific proof. Therefore, it is good to take a look at what some scientific studies on the effects of CBD on sleep show.
Research: Effect of CBD on sleep and anxiety
A 2019 study examined whether CBD could improve sleep and reduce anxiety. In this, 72 subjects were given 25 mg of CBD daily in capsule form for a month. Of those 72, 47 suffered from anxiety, while 25 subjects had problems sleeping. After one month, 79 percent of the subjects reported experiencing less anxiety and 67 percent reported better sleep.
REM behavioral disorder and CBD
REM behavior disorder is common in people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Characteristic of this disorder is that people literally act out (bad) dreams during their REM sleep, sometimes moving and cursing wildly and aggressively. During a 2014 study, four Parkinson’s patients with REM behavioral disorder were administered CBD. The results were encouraging: where patients initially experienced symptoms two to seven times a week, by the end of the study this was down to zero or one.
Can I sleep better with CBD oil?
In addition to these studies that directly examined the link between sleep and CBD, there are several studies showing that taking CBD has a positive effect on people suffering from depression, stress and chronic pain. These conditions, in turn, often lead to poor sleep, so it is likely that CBD can also improve sleep in this way. However, there is no really good research on this at this time.
All in all, we think that sleeping with CBD oil will help many people get better rest at night. Whether it works for you, as far as we are concerned, is a matter of trial and error. In any case, we hear many good stories about it. Start with a small dose, and possibly increase it over time, until you notice that your sleep improves. Another advantage of CBD is that it has no side effects, unlike many prescription sleep aids and a hormone like melatonin. As a result, this natural product is safe for anyone to use.
