Regular sleeping routines are essential for our healthy lifestyle. Sleeping problems are linked to obesity, stress, and numerous ailments. In fact, people use sleeping pills to get quality sleep, but these pills can sometimes pose a real danger of addiction. CBD products (Cannabidiol) are another less addictive alternative for people struggling with insomnia.

Types of CBD products

CBD products come in various forms and sizes, ranging from tinctures to soluble supplement pills. Hemp is also a popular cooking ingredient and food additive. When it comes to sleep improvement, CBD pill supplements, soluble CBD liquids, and ingestible oils have proved very beneficial.

The most common characteristic of CBD products is that they are made of the seeds or leaves of the cannabis plant. Two different species of cannabis are commonly used for making CBD products – hemp and marijuana. Although both plants are similar in some ways, the quantities of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp products are significantly less and therefore not psychoactive for consumers.

THC is the psychoactive compound of the cannabis plants, or what makes people feel “high” when smoking marijuana for recreational purposes. Government bodies strictly regulate the amount of THC in CBD products, so only small traces of THC exist in most CBD goodies, and the amounts they contain are clearly stated on labels. This is especially true in locations where a nationwide ban on marijuana is in place.

How does CBD affect our body?

CBD products are a new trend in the nutrition and supplements industry. Although there is not much research on the ways they interact with our bodies, science has already proved a few of the advantages of CBD. Aside from insomnia, CBD products can help our metabolism and immune system, relieve pain, fight stress and anxiety, and help us lose weight faster.

CBD mainly interacts with the receptors of the Endocannabinoid system (ECS). These receptors are spread throughout the human body – our internal organs, brain, and even skin. Naturally, endocannabinoids bind to the receptors to indicate that ECS has to take an action. However, science has proved that the THC compound, in contrast to the CBD compound, can influence the ECS much faster.

THC binds well to receptors in the same way that most endocannabinoids do. Depending on the amount of THC in a particular CBD product, it may have beneficial effects on our bodies. However, there is little consensus on how CBD and ECS interact. According to some studies, CBD does not affect any ECS receptors at all.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects adults. Insomniacs frequently have difficulty falling asleep or getting a good night’s sleep because they wake up several times during the night. In most cases, insomnia causes fatigue, tiredness, headaches, and even anxiety.

Insomnia and sleep deprivation, if not treated promptly, can progress to chronic insomnia, a dangerous condition. Seventy million people in the United States suffer from insomnia and about 10% are chronic insomniacs. Many people in Europe suffer from insomnia, too. In fact, more than 30% of Polish adults suffer from insomnia, compared with just 15% to 16% in Denmark and Italy.

CBD against insomnia

Numerous studies have focused on investigating the effects of CBD products on insomnia. Although most of the studies focus on marijuana smokers, recent research also investigates the effects of CBD tinctures and soluble supplements on insomniacs. Commonly, the findings indicate that CBD is very beneficial for treating sleep deprivation and insomnia, but mostly in larger and stronger doses.

One study of 2019 looked into the effects of CBD on anxiety and sleep deprivation. The study separated 113 participants into 2 groups, consisting of people suffering from anxiety, and people suffering from insomnia. The participants received CBD doses of 25 mg/d to 175 mg/d, which is much below the clinically accepted 200-300 mg/d, and over 66% of the adults in the insomniacs group improved their sleep after a month.

Another recent study of the University of Western Australia treated 32 adults aged between 35 and 60 with CBD products for a month. The participants received CBD for 14 nights and a placebo for another 14 nights. The results confirmed that the people, suffering from chronic insomnia, improved significantly after the first-month treatment.

A 2021 study on the effects of CBD on insomniacs looked into a larger sample of 387 people. According to the study, younger people were mainly vaping CBD, and inhaled CBD has the highest bioavailability. The doses they took were very different, ranging from 50 to 200 mg/ daily. It also turned out that most people suffering from insomnia were taking CBD continuously for at least a year.

Is CBD a better choice?

To answer if CBD is a better choice than melatonin supplements is not a straight forward task. While people usually addict to sleeping pills in the long run, the doses in which CBD is effective in treating insomnia are also too large. In fact, a few people reported that they addicted to CBD and overtime the effect was not as strong as it was in the first couple of months.

Even if it looks like we found the next cure for insomnia, CBD may have some negative effects on people, too. In fact, a few of the research participants reported adverse effects on their sleeping patterns. In this light, some people may experience sleeping problems when taking CBD, but this is not very likely to happen to most CBD consumers, and there aren’t enough examples of people experiencing adverse effects.

Most people who took CBD in large doses and through vaping experienced the best results. To improve sleeping disorders, we may take doses of 50 to 200 mg/daily. Although this looks very easy at first, most CBD tinctures for treating insomnia contain THC, which is lightly psychoactive in large doses. Therefore, the best choice, when it comes to chronic insomnia, is consulting a practitioner.

The takeaway

In recent times, many people suffering from insomnia rely on CBD products to better their sleeping routine. CBD goods against insomnia come in different forms but tinctures and oils proved to be most effective in improving sleeping regimens. Also, CBD inhaled via vaping is the most bioavailable form of CBD.

Generally, the advantages of taking CBD against insomnia are more than its downsides. On the good side, we will partly improve our sleep, and even if CBD doesn’t affect our sleeping routine, it can help with a variety of other ailments. On the bad side, we may experience some adverse effects or addiction, but if this will happen, we can always consult a practitioner about the right CBD doses.