CBD and insomnia

There are many causes of insomnia: stress, tension, screens, travel, etc. In an increasingly interconnected world, sleep disorders are more common and our brains have difficulty switching off at night. Over generations, insomnia has started to affect more and more people in France. The body becomes unable to recover properly, which can impact health in the long term. The problem is that drugs for sleep disorders can also be addictive and have unwanted side effects. Therefore, CBD is used as an alternative to conventional drug treatments for sleep disorders. So, why and how should you take cannabidiol to improve sleep? Read our comprehensive guide on CBD and insomnia!

The epidemic of sleep disorders

There are many types of sleep disorder:

• acute or chronic insomnia;
• sleep apnoea;
• hypersomnia;
• sleepwalking;
• sleep paralysis;
• restless legs syndrome;
• nightmares;
• hypnic jerks;
• etc.

But no matter which disorder you have, they all impact the quality and duration of your sleep. The results? A deterioration in your quality of life, including lethargy and problems concentrating, but also a higher risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. This is due to a disruption of the circadian cycle (the rhythm of wakefulness and sleep), which is often itself due to anxiety, depression, jet lag, or a poor lifestyle. Overexposure to screens and blue light can also disrupt the production of melatonin, which is the hormone that tells your body and brain that it is time to sleep. The use of CBD for insomnia would therefore provide a natural remedy for these disorders.

Combatting insomnia with CBD: 7 benefits

1. Reduces stress and anxiety

The first benefit of CBD for insomnia is its relaxing effect which alleviates the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Cannabidiol acts on the endocannabinoid system, which is present in humans. CBD then binds to CB1 and CB2 receptors, which act on the central nervous and immune systems, as well as the digestive system. The cannabidiol compound thus spreads throughout the body to induce true relaxation. When it’s time to sleep, your body and mind are calm and rested which allows you to fall asleep faster. And don’t worry: CBD does not induce psychotropic effects. Legal products in France contain less than 0.2% THC, so there is no "stoned" effect.

2. Improves quality of sleep

Do you sleep, but wake up tired in the morning? Good sleep is restful sleep: the quality of your rest cycles is very important. Factors that have an impact on this variable include alcohol, smoking, and looking at screens before bedtime. CBD for insomnia helps you fall into the arms of Morpheus more easily, again thanks to its relaxing properties. This natural compound combats anxiety and improves the quality of sleep cycles. You will wake up feeling fresh and well-rested in the morning!

3. Prolongs deep sleep

It is important to be aware that our sleep is divided into different stages, generally 3 to 5 cycles, each lasting 90 minutes. Your body alternates between slow wave sleep (also called deep sleep, the most restorative phase which allows us to recover from accumulated fatigue) and REM sleep (the phase where we dream, with potential debilitating attacks of parasomnia). To remain healthy and regenerate our cells, it is crucial that the alternation of these cycles takes place under the best possible conditions. The use of CBD for insomnia actually improves the duration of your deep sleep: by binding itself to CB1 and CB2 receptors, it acts directly on our nervous system to reduce REM sleep time.

4. Reduces pain

The use of CBD for insomnia also provides anti-inflammatory effects, which are particularly useful for promoting better sleep. If you suffer from an illness that affects your sleep, cannabidiol cannot treat the cause directly, but it can alleviate side effects such as pain. It brings you true relief on a daily basis by reducing the sensation (or perception) of pain. Consuming CBD to help you sleep enables better and more restful sleep. Cannabidiol acts on the nervous system in the same way as conventional drugs, without any side effects.

5. Fights sleep apnoea

Do you suffer with sleep apnoea? This is a problem that particularly affects overweight people, the elderly, or people who snore. The consequences of this condition are not serious, but they can be debilitating in everyday life. The use of CBD for insomnia can also have an impact on the vagus nerve (the nerve responsible for the sensation of breathing) by limiting the effect of serotonin. A 32% decrease in sleep apnoea symptoms was observed in individuals consuming CBD.

6. Fights lethargy

Anyone can have a midday slump. The problem is if they are recurrent: they can prevent you from working effectively or completing all your daily tasks. This problem can be resolved by using CBD for insomnia: it helps regulate the circadian cycle to adjust your sleep time and improve your alertness during the day. Not only will you be in better shape, but you’ll also fall asleep quicker in the evening, resulting in a better quality of sleep.

7. Boosts melatonin levels

Finally, the last benefit of CBD for insomnia: it acts positively on melatonin to improve the quality and duration of sleep. You will fall asleep faster and prevent nocturnal awakenings. We produce melatonin every day, which is constantly present in our bodies: it is the sleep hormone that helps us fall asleep. By working together, CBD and melatonin help you to enjoy your night’s sleep without constantly waking up.

CBD and insomnia: how does it work?

Let’s take a look at the effects of CBDon the human body when used for insomnia. As mentioned earlier, cannabidiol binds to CB1 and CB2 receptors and then changes the message sent to the brain by these same receptors. Together with the receptors, CBD decreases the intensity of neuronal activity to reduce anxiety and stress factors, but also inflammation and pain. It does this by affecting the circadian modulation (homeostasis) of sleep to allow the human body to relax more quickly. By helping you to relax and loosen muscles, cannabidiol significantly improves the sleep phase, which is critical to the quality of your sleep. Taking CBD is believed to promote optimal restoration at night, with improved sleep and regulation of REM and non-REM sleep phases. If you suffer from lethargy during the day, CBD blocks the fatigue messages and alleviates the problem in the long term by allowing you to achieve more restful sleep.

CBD and insomnia: how do you take cannabidiol?

The right form for better sleep

There are several forms of CBD for insomnia. Some of the most common are oils, infusions and CBD flowers. However, in terms of efficacy, CBD oil tops the list: it is both very easy to use and provides quick results. To get the best effects, make sure you take a high-quality CBD oil from an organic hemp plant, without any added chemicals. At The CBD Farm, you will find premium-quality oils, not mixed with raw materials of dubious origin. A few drops of oil will help you combat insomnia: your muscles will relax and your brain will switch off. We also sell CBD infusions to be consumed with a fatty substance before going to bed, if you don’t like the taste of oils.

The right dosage to combat insomnia

The dosage of CBD for insomnia depends on the product used and your body type (height and weight). We generally recommend starting with a low dose of cannabidiol, for example, 5 mg per day. Then, depending on your reaction to this dosage, you can gradually increase it to find the perfect dose for you. It is important to understand that everyone reacts differently, but don’t worry: there’s no risk of overdosing with CBD as studies have established that this threshold would be over 1,600 mg, and doses rarely exceed 100 mg.

Better sleep with CBD: an alternative to medicines?

An alternative to the more risky conventional treatments...

Can CBD be used to replace conventional drug treatments for insomnia? The benefits of cannabidiol on the human body are still being studied, but the first scientific results are more than encouraging and the WHO (World Health Organisation) itself defends the potential therapeutic benefits of CBD. The role of cannabidiol on stress and anxiety is well established, it promotes improved sleep. The benefit of CBD over sleeping pills is that this natural compound does not involve addiction, side effects, or psychotropic effects. Conventional sleeping pills are addictive, with an addiction created in only 4 weeks, and come with harmful side effects (headaches, nausea, memory problems, irritability, vomiting, dizziness, depressive symptoms, confusion, hallucinations, etc.). The same problems are observed with antidepressants and anxiolytics.

... which are no substitute for a healthy lifestyle

CBD helps insomniacs to treat all the symptoms and effects of sleep disorders in a perfectly natural way: it promotes sleep and limits nocturnal awakenings. However, there is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle. To reduce your trouble sleep in the long-term, make sure you eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and avoid screens for about 2 hours before bedtime. CBD offers more of a helping hand: you can take it as a dietary supplement, allowing you to improve the outcome of your daily activities tenfold.