7 Tips When Using CBD for Insomnia

Sleep disorders affect up to 70 million Americans. Among them, the most common is insomnia, or an inability to sleep through the night.

What’s worse, getting little to no shut-eye negatively affects your health. Getting less than seven hours a night can up your risk for stroke, heart attack, depression, and more.

If you count yourself among those millions of insomniacs, you’re desperate for relief. Why not try CBD for insomnia?

Why CBD?

Let’s talk about what CBD is and why it might help with insomnia. Because CBD is a new trend in wellness, there’s a lot of claims — and misinformation — floating around.

Cannabidiol, known as CBD, is a chemical compound found in cannabis. Cannabis is the same plant family as marijuana, but CBD isn’t the same thing.

Marijuana has the compound tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC. That’s what gives recreational users the “high” feeling.

CBD doesn’t give users that high but it has many other potential benefits. While studies are still being conducted, some users claim that CBD can help with pain, stress relief, digestion, and more.

CBD for Insomnia

Because of it’s potentially relaxing properties, CBD can be useful to get back to a healthy sleeping pattern. The recently discovered endocannabinoid system plays a role in this.

Essentially, humans have receptors for cannabidinoids like CBD and related substances. Studies are looking at how CBD potentially affects our circadian rhythms and helps us sleep and wake.

Our brains have receptors that CBD might interact with in positive ways. CBD may be able to help relax our minds, leading to more fulfilling sleep.

Want to learn how to use CBD for sleep? These seven tips will help get you started.

1) Talk to Your Doctor

Most healthy adults have no problems taking CBD products which are usually sold over the counter. They’re considered generally safe for regular consumption and aren’t habit-forming like many common sleep aids.

As of this moment, there hasn’t been a fatal overdose in the history of man that we know of. That being said, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to your medical professional.

Any time you take a new supplement or try to tackle a problem like a sleep disorder on your own, having a conversation with your physician is something to consider.

2) Check for Interactions with Medication

If you’re new to using CBD oil for insomnia, it’s best to take it alone. CBD oil might affect the condition the other medications are trying to treat, decrease the effectiveness of certain medications, or increase sleepiness.

Medications that are broken down in the liver have the potential to be affected by CBD oil. Supplements used for sleep, like Valerian root, St. John’s wort, Melatonin, and more, might not interact well with CBD.

Got questions? Refer back to tip one and chat with your doctor.

3) Getting the Serving Size Right

CBD comes in many forms including some formulas made just to improve the quality of your sleep. The question is, which one is right for you?

There are syrups, oils, capsules, tinctures, and edibles to choose from. Each has a different quantity and potentially different effects on you. Capsules are your best option if you are looking to get exact doses.

Try starting with a lower amount, say around 2.5 mg CBD. Move to a higher amount of five to fifteen milligrams if you feel the 2.5 mg isn’t doing enough for you after a few days.

There are a lot of factors that determine if and how CBD affects you.

4) Timing of Your Serving

Another thing to play around with is the timing of your consumption. If a certain product relaxes you, you’ll want to take it later in the evening. If a product is energizing for you, take that early on in your day.

Just like with anything else that can alter your body’s responses, there are many factors to consider. For example, if you’ve eaten a large meal or drank something with caffeine in it, you might not feel the full effects.

5) Side Effects of Taking CBD for Sleep

When trying CBD for sleep for the first time, you might experience side effects. These are just the same as any other changes you make to your routine.

Not everyone experiences side effects after taking CBD oil. But it’s best to anticipate some adjustment on behalf of your body.

Side effects can include things like feeling groggy in the morning the next day. If your stomach isn’t used to the CBD product, you might get an upset stomach if you take too much.

Because of all of these reasons — serving sizes, timing, and side effects — it’s best to try CBD when you don’t have to be anywhere the next day. Trust your body and always reach out to a physician if you feel anything adverse.

6) Pick the Right Product

While we talked mostly about CBD oil, CBD comes in many forms. There are many different products that are on the market.

Each one can hit your body at different times or in different ways. Again, try a few out to find the one that’s best for you.

7) Other Sleep Tips

There are many claims of the benefits of CBD oil, but it can’t work alone. Try to change your other nighttime habits to give it a boost.

Here are some tips to help tackle insomnia:

• Breathe in a relaxing scent, like a lavender pillow spray
• Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet
• Cut down on stimulation, like caffeine, exercise, or excitement, before bedtime
• Listen to relaxing music or try some gentle stretches to get ready for bed
• Limit your use of phones or computers before you go to sleep, and use a blue light filter if you do need to use a screen close to bed time

When fighting insomnia, any little bit helps. Try these out along with the CBD product of your choice to find what works.

Find the Best CBD for Sleep Product

Getting a good night’s rest is essential for your well being. Trying different CBD for insomnia products can help you get a full night’s sleep.

There are tons of options you have if you’re looking for one to manage your sleep disorder. Whichever one you choose, take notes on how it makes you feel to ensure you find the right one.