Is CBD Good as a Sleeping Aid?

Your bad mood, sudden weight gain, and irregular heartbeat might all seem unrelated; until you take a look at your bed, that is.

According to Harvard, more people are getting less than six hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, our bodies depend on that sleep to recharge and prepare for a new day. A lack of sleep can do more damage to your health than just a bad mood, including:

Memory issues
Difficulty learning
Slow metabolism
Weight gain
More accidents (including road accidents, air traffic issues, medical errors)
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability and impatience
Weakened immune system
Cardiovascular issues

You need to catch up on sleep before it can impact your health. With this guide, you can discover a new sleeping aid that might help. Keep reading to discover whether taking CBD as a sleeping aid is right for you!

Benefits of CBD

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the 104 cannabinoid chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, however, CBD isn’t psychoactive, so it won’t get you high.

Instead, CBD is used as a natural pain reliever.

Since it doesn’t cause any mind-altering effects, CBD is often considered a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs or marijuana. In addition to using CBD oil for sleep, people also choose CBD for:

Pain relief
Reducing skin irritation
Adapting to neurological changes
Improving heart health

However, it’s important to note that studies are still underway to further research CBD and its effects on the human body.

Popular CBD Products

In addition to these benefits, CBD can also help people experiencing sleep issues. According to this study, sleep scores improved in 66.7 percent of patients after one month of using CBD.

Our body’s endocannabinoid system regulates many of the areas listed above. That includes our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Thankfully, CBD products can help regulate this system.

CBD interacts with the serotonin and GABA receptors in the brain. While serotonin regulates our anxiety and mood, GABA promotes relaxation and calms brain activity.

Based on this study, taking CBD as a sleeping aid can help people catch up on much-needed sleep.

Short-Term Use

It’s important to note that while CBD can initially help as a sleeping aid, the effects might diminish the longer you use it. In the study mentioned above, CBD helped patients in the first month.

However, the effects faded after three months of using CBD oil for sleep.

Instead of using CBD as a daily sleeping aid, try to space out your use. This might keep your body from developing a tolerance to CBD oil and other products.

These soothing effects can help you relax, which might help you fall asleep.

Low and Slow

When you first start using CBD as a sleeping aid, most products suggest you start low and slow.

Check the instructions on your CBD oil to determine a good dose to start. Then, slowly increase your dose as needed to find the most effective dose for you.

Everyone’s body is a little different. That means the dose that works for one person might not help you get some sleep.

Don’t feel the need to rush to a higher dose. By taking your time, you can find the most effective low dose to help you sleep. This can help you save money in the long run (instead of burning through your CBD oil at a high dose).

Go slow and find the best dose that helps your body relax.

Consider the Form

People use CBD in a number of forms. Whether you take tinctures, edibles such as CBD gummy bears, pills, or choose to vape CBD is up to you.

However, vaping CBD might work the fastest of these options. Since consuming edibles, pills, or oils requires your body to digest the substance, the effects can take some time. Meanwhile, vaping CBD sends the compound into your system a lot faster.

If you choose to take an edible CBD product as a sleeping aid, try to take it an hour before bedtime.

Safety First

It’s also important to look for reputable and certified high-quality CBD products during your search. Since the cannabis industry remains unregulated, it’s important to do your research beforehand.

Check for products that follow Good Manufacturing Practices. This will indicate that the products were manufactured in a clean environment. CBD-only products also shouldn’t contain more than .3 percent THC, so make sure you check the label.

You can also check our CBD products for a Certificate of Analysis, or COA. This will let you know how much CBD or THC the product contains.

The COA tells you the product was tested for heavy metals, fungicides, and other contaminants as well.

That way, you have the reassurance that the CBD you’re using as a sleeping aid is a safe, healthy product.

As a final tip, make sure you’re storing your products away from sunlight.

Since cannabinoids degrade over time, it’s best to store them at room temperature. This will ensure they last without temperature changes impacting the product’s chemical composition.

If you’re concerned about whether or not your CBD oil has degraded, make note of the product’s color when you first purchase it. If the oil appears to have changed color over time, the product may have degraded.

Sweet Dreams: Your Guide to Using CBD as a Sleeping Aid

Ready to catch those z’s? With this guide to using CBD as a sleeping aid, you have all the information you need. Now you can start using CBD oil for sleep and get the rest your body deserves.