CBD oils, edibles, vapes and other products are coming to dominate in the wellness industry, but as with all trends, it makes sense to do your research and find out if this new cure-all can really do everything it promises, and how it works.
One of the big claims about CBD oil, and one that everyone can benefit from is that it helps you sleep. The NHS estimates that a third of people will experience problems with their sleep at some point in their life – and the real figure may be much higher, as this is based on the number of people that report their problems to the doctor rather than suffering in silence – so anything that promises to help could be of huge value to the nation! But can CBD products deliver, and if they do how?
The Evidence
CBD products have hit the market and been a higher priority for research since the World Health Organisation published a report in 2018. They didn’t investigate any therapeutic claims about the compound, merely it’s potential for harm, and what they found is that CBD, divorced from other cannabinoids, was not addictive, intoxicant or psychoactive: it won’t affect your judgement, alter your state of mind or make you crave more. This meant that opposition for sales of properly prepared and tested CBD products had no foundation and the floodgates opened.
That 2018 date is still recent though and medical trials and research are slow, so we have only preliminary results and anecdotal evidence to work with. Fortunately those small scale studies and early results do indicate that CBD can be effective in helping to promote deeper and more restful sleep – especially in people experiencing short term sleep problems.
How Does CBD Help You Sleep?
Unlike other over the counter medication, and prescribed sleeping pills, CBD doesn’t help you sleep by stimulating drowsiness. It doesn’t swamp you with tiredness to force you to sleep – which means if you’re taking CBD for other reasons (to manage pain or low mood, for example) you can do so confident that it won’t impair your ability to function at work.
CBD helps you sleep by removing the barriers to the rest you want to take: it helps to soothe anxiety and promote a sense of wellbeing, as well helping to treat pain as well. If you’re being kept from sleep by discomfort, or racing thoughts, CBD helps to remove those, meaning you can be alert and focussed in the daytime, and sleep better at night.
