Who doesn’t like a good night sleep? It is quite difficult for one to function without sleep in today’s stressful, fast- paced world. However, these are the very factors that often lead to people not getting enough sleep. For conditions like sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, etc. people are often prescribed over the counter medicines for instant relief. These medications; however, may have serious side effects on the patients. Due to this, many consumers try to explore medical cannabis as a potential sleep aid. Through this article, we would discuss whether Cannabis helps or hinders sleep.
CBD has become popular in the medical field, wherein, individuals are consuming it to treat a number of ailments, including insomnia. Due to this sudden increase in its popularity, a number of ongoing clinical and preclinical studies are trying to find whether CBD can help with various disorders. However, there are limited studies are centered on CBD and sleep.
A recent Consumer Reports survey that was conducted on CBD reported that 10% of its respondents were consuming CBD as a sleep aid. Most of them assured that it worked, however, the evidence is anecdotal. It is important for controlled studies to be conducted in order to gain some conclusive evidence about whether CBD really induces sleep.
High CBD strains often contain a terpene called myrcene. This terpene is said to have sedating effects. Therefore, myrcene has been used as a sleep aid since centuries. However, myrcene is found in several other plants apart from cannabis, such as hops. Therefore, researchers are unsure whether it is the myrcene in the CBD rich strains that helps people sleep or whether it is CBD itself. However, it can be noted that CBD is not generally consumed in a vaporized form, and therefore, does not contain much myrcene.
Another research conducted in 2017 extensive literature review titled: Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature, studies the effects of CBD in conjunction with THC on sleep. It concluded that both can be used as sleep aids.
Consuming multiple cannabinoids at the same time might have mixed effects. THC has certain sedative-like effects on individuals. It has multiple properties that help individuals sleep, for instance, it helps people feel comfortable while being able to remain still. This is called catalepsy. CBD, on the other hand, does not alter the consciousness of individuals like THC. As a result, it is difficult to ascertain whether CBD alone can act as a sleep aid.
Dosage
A Preliminary study showed that CBD doses ranging from 75 to 300 mg helped patients sleep. In one particular case, high dose CBD also helped a PTSD patient. Since CBD does not have any psychedelic properties, it is safe to consume higher doses of it for optimum effects. A study held in 2018 administered doses of 1500, 3000, and 6000 mg to healthy subjects for six days. It concluded that CBD was safe to be consumed at higher dosages.
Conclusion
Through the aforementioned argument, it can be assessed whether CBD helps or hinders sleep. It should be noted that CBD’s effect on sleep requires a great deal of further research. Despite the fact that CBD seems to help patients sleep, its effects are subjective and differ from person to person. It is a great alternative for those who wish to use a product with no side-effects. Additionally, CBD is worth exploring for those who want to avail the benefit of marijuana without the psychedelic effects of THC. If you have trouble sleeping, you can consult your medical practitioner before using CBD for your condition. We strongly advise against self-medication.
