While various studies have suggested that chronic exposure to THC and other CB1-activating compounds may lead to slight improvements in sleep, recent meta-analyses, such as one conducted automating compliance checks with Python by Mucke et al. (2018) based on Cochrane data, have critiqued the quality of these findings . This enhancement came at the expense of both NREM and REM sleep stages, further underscoring the arousing effects of PEA within the central nervous system. Apart from their well-known benefits in alleviating chemotherapy-related symptoms, cannabinoids are increasingly used to treat medical conditions including chronic pain, cancer, anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy .
Even with legalization in multiple states in the USA, cannabis is still considered a drug of high abuse potential by the DEA. Commonly noted side effects included increased somnolence, dizziness, euphoria, disorientation, and paranoia. With studies of limited sample size and lack of long-term outcomes, the role of cannabinoids in RBD remains largely undetermined. To date, these represent the limited data available on evaluating the role of cannabinoids in RBD. Most studies have been limited by methodological heterogeneity as well as the use of variable dosages .
Reducing REM sleep means reducing dreams — and for those who experience PTSD, it could mean reducing nightmares. According to a small 2022 study, cannabis strains with higher levels of THC typically reduce the amount of REM sleep you get. Its analgesic properties may also provide some relief for people with chronic pain, while the anti-anxiety properties can soothe a stressed-out mind and body. Whether you have a sleep disorder or you’re having difficulty sleeping after a stressful day, cannabis may be able to help you get some much-needed rest. Lindsay Boyers is a functional nutritionist with extensive experience in sleep, supplements, and other areas of health and wellness. Most studies about CBD’s effect on sleep use doses that are dependent on body weight — typically 1 to 50 milligrams per kilogram35 .
Your body can absorb inhaled compounds directly from your lungs into your bloodstream. It may also soothe the symptoms of certain skin conditions, like eczema and psoriasis. Opting for lab-tested, high quality CBD products can help reduce your risk of unwanted effects. CBD may also interact with other over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including blood thinners.
Until there’s more solid evidence, don’t buy into any outrageous claims about nano CBD. CBD isolate does not benefit from the entourage effect since you’re not getting any other hemp phytochemicals. However, it’s slightly weaker since you’re not getting THC, which contributes some beneficial synergistic effects. It also interacts with many other molecules in your body, including various neurotransmitter (brain messenger chemical) systems, a myriad of receptors, enzymes, and transporter proteins.
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Nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, has been studied for nightmares in PTSD patients. Though anatomically rats exhibit central sleep apneas, these results can be interpreted in the context of OSA-related unstable respiratory patterns. In animal studies, cannabinoids have been shown to reduce apneas (primarily serotonin induced) when injected intraperitoneally in Sprague-Dawley rats; however, they may yield decreased REM sleep and sleep efficiency 75, 76. Albeit with small studies (and limited power), there have been some preliminarily promising results. Recently, there has been increased interest in the use of cannabinoids primarily due to their neuromodulatory effect on the vagal nerve ganglion, as described above (and shown in Fig. 2).
Endogenous cannabinoids, also known as endocannabinoids, are the molecules that interact with the ECS receptors, which your body generates on its own. Consequently, this personal alert system can effectively notify your brain when there is an issue that requires attention, no matter where it occurs in the body. Throughout the body, ECS receptors are located in various places, including the immune system’s cells and the stomach lining. Rather, it functions as an alert mechanism to indicate to the body when there is an imbalance. Following this, adjustments are made by your brain and body to restore your temperature to a normal level.
Most importantly, if you’re taking an oral CBD product, you can expect weaker effects than the sublingual or inhaled routes, especially if you take it on an empty stomach. Someone looking to reduce occasional anxiety will likely require lower CBD dosages than a person looking for relief from chronic pain caused by cancer or another debilitating condition. The bottom line is that your unique body chemistry can make you less or more responsive to the effects of CBD. On top of that, genes can also influence your metabolism, affecting how specific drugs (such as CBD) will affect you (149). There are also many variations of the genes responsible for your cannabinoid receptors, which can also affect how your body responds to cannabinoids. For example, some people have a genetic variation that reduces the activity of the enzyme that breaks down the endocannabinoid anandamide.
Tips for Choosing High-Quality Cannabis Products for Sleep
However, cannabis menus still frequently categorize products as indica, sativa, or a hybrid of the two, based on plant origin. Based on all of this, it seems that products with a small-to-moderate amount of THC and a small amount of CBD could be helpful if you’re new to cannabis. If you experience any symptoms of cannabis withdrawal, a healthcare professional can offer support to help manage symptoms. Here’s a look at what experts do and don’t know about cannabis and sleep, along with some tips for using it and potential side effects.
While brown fat is particularly prevalent in infants, it can also be found in certain areas of adults’ bodies. It is more plausible that CBD aids in weight loss indirectly by positively influencing factors such as sleep, anxiety, mood, and stress. A notable review published in 2022, encompassing 11 clinical studies, found that CBD may help in reducing appetite and promoting weight loss (89).
CBD has the ability to alter your body’s experience of pain and its response to inflammation. Currently, CBD oil is available in various forms, including capsules, vaporizer oil bases, tinctures, consumables, and cosmetic products like bath bombs and lotions. The FDA has not approved CBD for the treatment of sleep disorders. We offer products like tinctures, gummies, and balanced ratio formulations designed for sleep enhancement.
Recent studies have indicated that CBD functions as an inverse agonist of the CB2 receptor, potentially elucidating its anti-inflammatory properties given the expression of CB2 receptors in immune cells, with inhibition likely leading to reduced inflammation . To bolster these findings, further well-designed trials involving larger and more diverse clinical populations, including females and individuals with non-trauma-related nightmare disorders, are warranted. Notably, both a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and an open-label study have demonstrated a significant reduction in nightmare frequency with nabilone administration, ranging from 0.5 mg/d to a maximum of 3 mg/d. Moreover, emerging research suggests that nabilone, a synthetic THC analog, holds promise for addressing nightmares in individuals with PTSD. Over a duration of 2 weeks, participants self-administered ZTL-101 one hour before bedtime, with the option to double the dosage after the fourth night (a decision made by 52% of participants).
We analyzed 91 sleep-focused CBD oils and narrowed it down to the top four—based on lab results, expert guidance, and real-world performance. Although often thought of as the ‘sleep hormone’, melatonin does not put us to sleep. CBN oil is increasingly promoted as a popular sleep aid but can the cannabis extract really help you achieve a better night’s rest? At Sleepstation, we use a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) to help you identify why you’re sleeping badly, knocking down the barriers coming between you and sleep. Instead of trying to fix your sleep problem with a sleep aid, let us help you to get to the root of what’s coming between you and a good night’s sleep. Whether you can pinpoint the source of your poor sleep or you’ve no idea what’s wrong but just know you’re waking up exhausted every single morning, Sleepstation is here for you.
So it could be worth asking yourself why you’re not getting the sleep you need. CBD has also gained popularity in managing pain and inflammation.18 Pain can interfere with sleep so if CBD helps reduce pain, the knock-on effect may be that it also helps the person taking it to sleep better. Studies specifically looking at using CBD for sleep disorders have investigated a very wide range of doses, with no good consensus on which dose is best. What we can tell you is what the studies so far tell us about the effects of CBD on sleep and sleep disorders. So if you’re looking for what dose of CBD you should take for sleep then the truth is you’re really going to have to wait until good research studies have examined this further.