Recently, I tried a CBD product hoping it would be a remedy for my bad sleeping patterns. Typically, I fall asleep around 10 pm, wake up (I mean UP) at 2 am, and stay awake until about 4 am. Then I fall asleep only to find myself having to wake up 2 hours later. Then I’m tired during the day. Sometimes a nap will be taken if I’m able. Overall, it’s been really frustrating.
I heard people were using CBD as a sleep remedy, so I decided to try it. Maybe, it would calm any anxiety/stress that might be triggering my insomnia. Here’s my photos of the purchase…
This particular product is touted as a sleep aid, and contains the cannabinoids CBD, CBN and CBG. Didn’t know what such things were, so I did a little amateur research.
The cannabis plant actually contains many different cannabinoids, but only a few have been marketed in products to consumers. The main difference between CBG and CBD is that CBG is a minor cannabinoid while CBD is a major cannabinoid. This means that CBG makes up a smaller percentage of the cannabinoids in cannabis plants. But has some similar abilities to fight nausea, stimulate appetite and regulate sleep.
This article from WebMD, says that the CBN cannabinoid comes from THC components that age and break down. It’s about 25% as effective as THC, which makes it a mild chemical. If CBN is used in large doses, it can produce mild psychoactive reactions. This particular product contains half the amount of CBN as CBD, so I’m not worried about anything psychoactive happening.
Also, CBN and CBD both interact with your endocannabinoid system. So what’s that? You can find the answer in this 2015 NCBI article from Hui-Chen Lu and Ken Mackie. This is a sample from that article:
”The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a widespread neuromodulatory system that plays important roles in central nervous system (CNS) development, synaptic plasticity, and the response to endogenous and environmental insults. The ECS is comprised of cannabinoid receptors, endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), and the enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of the endocannabinoids. The most abundant cannabinoid receptor is the CB1 cannabinoid receptor…”
So that’s where the CBD cannabinoid connection happens!
As for how it worked on my sleep issue… well, it wasn’t a cure, but it made a little difference. This product comes in a bottle that has a dropper with a dosage measurement on it. I place the drops under my tongue and hold for about a minute, then swallow.
I still woke up in the middle of the night about the same time, only instead of being wide awake, I probably dosed off after maybe 20 minutes, then slept through until about 4 am-4:30 am. Which is still too early to wake up, but because I wasn’t up for 2 hours in the middle of the night like before, I did feel a little more rested. So it helped a little, but since this bottle cost $85, I’m not sure I’d buy it again without looking for some less expensive remedies first.
Side note: I also bought these CBD honey sticks…
They tasted less sweet than plain honey, with a mild flavor that I probably wouldn’t detect as CBD if I didn’t know it was already in there. No other effects noted.
To summarize, I would say there was some benefit to my CBD experiment, but I’m still going to stay on the look out for other sleep remedies. Feel free to share any that have worked for you in the comments!
Take care ❤️
P.S. These products may not be legally purchased in all 50 states.
Nice article…. Great tips regrading endocannabinoid. You provided the best information which helps us a lot. Thanks for sharing the wonderful information.
Great tips regrading endocannabinoid system. You provided the best information which helps us a lot. Thanks for sharing the wonderful information.
Thank you for this informative post, Deb. Sleep is elusive nowadays for many reasons. But I haven’t tried any medicinal products for my bad sleeping patterns. I find physical activities (walking / day hikes, gardening and anything that helps me move my body) very helpful, because I’m usually so tired afterwards. Listening to audiobooks or podcasts just before going to bed also soothe me to sleep. Good luck with finding what works best for you!
Hi Khaya. I’ve done physical activities too, such as walking, Zumba class, tai chi, but that hasn’t been too effective. I tried staying up later, that didn’t work either. What usually happens on these days is I fall asleep quicker, but I don’t stay asleep. Some would say it’s the downside of my age (I’m in my 50’s) so it’s still something I’m trying to figure out. But it is slowly getting better with each trial and error. Thank you for sharing, and I hope you have restful nights. 😊❤️