Can CBD Help People Sleep Better?

Sleep is a critical function for humans and without enough of it, we can’t operate at our best. Those who don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis may end up with physical or mental health complications.

While we know sleep is important for our health, that doesn’t mean it always comes easy. As many as one-third of Americans don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. Adults between the ages of 18 and 60 are recommended to get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but that can be hard to accomplish with busy, stressful lives and minds that don’t always shut down when getting ready for bed.

While some people have great success using prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids to help them fall and stay asleep, not everyone experiences the same results. For some, it can feel like nothing works.

Fortunately, there may be another way to combat insomnia and sleep troubles. A nationally-representative Consumer Reports survey found about 10% of Americans who have tried CBD have used it for sleep, and a majority of these people said it worked for them.

So how can CBD help people sleep better? Let’s dive in.

How CBD affects sleep

You may find different methods of improving sleep work better for you than others. One reason is that there are so many factors that keep us up at night. Stress and anxiety can cause or exacerbate sleep problems, and if you have an anxiety disorder, this can intensify.

CBD, stress & anxiety relief, and sleep 

We’ve all been there. Waiting for the racing thoughts to end and watching the clock crawl into the early morning. If you find stress and anxiety are keeping you up at night, CBD may be a tool for your nighttime routine.

While we’re still waiting on more definitive CBD research, what we know so far is promising. One large case study looked at CBD’s role in anxiety and sleep, finding nearly 80% of subjects experienced a decrease in anxiety and 70% experienced better sleep within the first 30 days of using it.

Overall, CBD has shown great potential to alleviate anxiety and that could translate to relief from anxiety-induced insomnia.

CBD, anandamide, and sleep regulation 

CBD plays an important role in the endocannabinoid system, where cannabinoids interact with cannabinoid receptors to stimulate different bodily processes. We make our own cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids, and there are also cannabinoids from plants, such as THC or CBD.

One cannabinoid our bodies produce on their own is called anandamide. The name comes from the Sanskrit word for “bliss” and it plays a crucial role in regulating various internal processes, including sleep.

One rodent study found that rats given anandamide fell into a deeper sleep, making this endocannabinoid a potential target for sleep remedies. But here’s the problem with anandamide: it’s fragile and does not stay in the body for long before breaking down.

That’s where CBD comes in. Researchers have found that CBD may slow the process of breaking down anandamide, which means it may be able to stay in the body for longer periods of time, encouraging better sleep.

CBD and melatonin production 

Finally, CBD may help with the production of melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone. Researchers believe that CBD may signal tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid responsible for converting serotonin into melatonin.

By converting serotonin into melatonin, CBD may help users get a better night’s sleep. Researchers believe that CBD’s influence on tryptophan may improve mood disturbances and quality of life.

The short version

If you struggle to get enough sleep on a regular basis, you are far from alone. And if you haven’t seen success with other sleep aids, it may be worth trying CBD for sleep. Heres’ what we know:

• Stress and anxiety contribute to many sleep problems. Since CBD is beneficial for alleviating anxiety in many people, it may help calm users before bed and allow for better sleep.
• CBD preserves anandamide, a sleep-regulating molecule that is broken down by the body quickly. Research has shown promising results that anandamide improves sleep and that CBD may slow the breakdown of this endocannabinoid.
• CBD may help signal tryptophan. From there, it converts serotonin into melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone. Researchers believe CBD has a lot of promise for improving user’s quality of life due to its influence on tryptophan.