*2022 Update - Experts have linked the gut biome to many aspects of our health - read here about how CBD oil may help to improve gut health!
Getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and wellbeing. However, it is something that eludes many of us and can have a truly negative effect on the rest of our lives - from a low energy, tiredness, irritability, lack of productivity and focus. In fact, the BBC recently reported that over 30% of adults in the UK suffer from insomnia. Many of us rely on pharmaceutical sleep aid to help us get a good nights sleep. But that doesn't have to be the only solution.
Many of our customers are now using our CBD oils to tackle a variety of ailments, from chronic pain to anxiety and sleep disorders, this is because CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid system - a system that helps to maintain a stable internal environment by regulating mechanisms for eating, sleeping, relaxing, forgetting and protecting.
CBD products such as edible gummies are relatively new on the market, but they are making quite an impact on the health and wellbeing industry. CBD is a cannabinoid, an active ingredient in the cannabis plant, but is extracted from hemp plants - cannabis plants with less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis).
At SMOKO, our broad spectrum CBD products are made in the UK using CBD extracted via a cryogenic extraction process from cannabis sativa L plants responsibly grown in the USA.
In this article we will explore what causes a poor night's sleep and insomnia, what is CBD and how taking CBD Oral drops or CBD Gummies may help you get some well deserved zzz's.
WHAT CAUSES POOR QUALITY OF SLEEP AND INSOMNIA?
There are many reasons why someone may be suffering from poor sleep or insomnia. The most common causes of insomnia are from stress, anxiety and/or depression, and consumption of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. There are also other neurological conditions that can cause insomnia, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, restless leg syndrome, an overactive thyroid, and menopause.
DOES CBD OIL HELP SLEEP AN INSOMNIA?
Currently, CBD is being used to treat poor sleep and insomnia by many people across the UK, Europe and North America. Now, it may not work for everyone, but if it could help you get a full night's sleep then it may be worth a try. So if you are relying on pharmaceuticals to help you sleep, read this article to find out how CBD Oil may help your insomnia.
HOW DOES CBD OIL WORK ON THE BODY?
CBD activates receptors found in the brain and our immune cells, and one type of receptor that it affects in the brain are the CB1 receptors - these play a role in falling asleep, which suggests that CBD promotes sleep and has led to improved sleep quality in many people.
RELAXING EFFECTS OF CBD OIL
One way CBD may be helping people improve their sleep is through relaxation. The endocannabinoid system helps to regulate neurotransmitters - our nervous system’s communication molecules - which need to be cleared away in order to prevent continuous activation of receptors.
If a muscle contracts, neurotransmitters have been sent to the muscle to enact the contraction. If the neurotransmitters aren’t removed, this would cause the muscle to keep contracting. A medical condition known as CECD (clinical endocannabinoid deficiency) means there is a lack of endocannabinoids, which can affect our body’s chemical messengers.
CBD slows down the movement of these chemical transmitters and CBD increases the presence of endocannabinoids, encouraging the muscles to relax. For someone who struggles to get to sleep due to muscle stiffness, soreness or pain, taking CBD may help by reducing discomfort when you go to bed.
EFFECTS OF CBD DROPS ON THE SLEEP CYCLE
Early studies have shown that CBD helps to regulate dysfunctional sleep. A study of four patients with Parkinson’s disease saw them treated with CBD and saw fast, significant reactions where instances of REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) were reduced.
USE OF CBD IN MEDICAL CONDITIONS
It could be that the effectiveness of CBD helping with sleep problems is down to the multitude of health benefits CBD can provide. As more studies are conducted, we will be able to say with more certainty the effects of CBD, but currently there is good evidence for CBD oils to be used to treat anxiety. A reduction in anxiety can lead to improved sleep duration and quality due to reduced cortisol levels - the ‘stress’ hormone.
IS CBD OIL SAFE TO TAKE?
CBD is well tolerated in most individuals, with largely innocuous side effects, but there are a few safety concerns. It can negatively impact an embryo or foetus, so pregnant women should avoid using CBD, and it can reduce sperm production in men. You should make sure to consult your doctor before you begin taking CBD as it can affect other medication, and impact certain conditions like kidney and liver diseases.
If you would like some guidance on dosing your CBD oral drops or edible gummies, check out our blog article on how much CBD oil to take.
WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE SAY?
In addition to the study of patients with Parkinson’s, other studies have been conducted to assess the efficacy of CBD as a treatment for poor sleep. One such study demonstrated that patients with anxiety saw improvements that were sustained for the course of the study, but the sleep scores fluctuated over time.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN PURCHASING CBD OIL
Making CBD is a costly process, so it raises concerns when a study demonstrated that many cannabinoid products in the USA are not labelled with the correct dosage. If a product contains more, or less, than stated on the label it makes dosing inaccurate, and this could cause serious problems in a small number of people. Not to mention that you could be overpaying for your CBD if it contains less than the stated amount!
To ensure you are getting a quality product, always look for a company with good customer reviews, check out their website and look for a certificate of analysis for their CBD product - this is a third party analysis that details the contents of the CBD oil (levels of THC CBD and other cannabinoids) so you know the CBD content is what they say it is!
If you want to learn how to store your CBD products for the maximum shelf life and other storage tips, check out our article on how to store CBD correctly!
DOES CBD OIL AND CBD GUMMIES HELP SLEEP AND INSOMNIA? CONCLUSION
The effectiveness of CBD compared to other sleep aids needs to be studied further, but the scientific evidence that cannabidiol CBD has a positive effect on getting to sleep, sleep duration, and quality of sleep is building.
If you think that taking CBD could be beneficial to you - there are many reported benefits to taking CBD - make sure to consult your doctor about any side effects or interactions with other medications you are on, or conditions that could be negatively affected by taking CBD.
If the doc’s given the all clear and you want to give your endocannabinoid system a boost, check out SMOKO’s CBD product range including CBD oral drops and CBD gummies that may help you get a better night's sleep!
