
To truly get the most out of life, a person needs to be able to get a good night's sleep, which has led many to wonder if there is anything behind the idea of CBD for sleep improvement.
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, an estimated 50 to 70 million people in the United States spanning all ages and socioeconomic classes suffer from sleeplessness. Both men and women are impacted by sleep disturbances, and according to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, adults aged 18-60 years old need at least seven hours of sleep each night to realize optimal health and well-being.
Ultimately, when a person does not get the sleep they need they run the risk of developing many chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other mental health issues. Therefore, a person must develop good sleep practices and implement strategies both during the day and before bed that will allow them to get the sleep they need to have a great life.
In this article, we will explore why Americans have problems sleeping, discuss strategies for improving sleep, and most importantly investigate the role that CBD for sleep improvement could play in helping people achieve a healthy sleep cycle.
Can CBD Help Improve Your Sleep?
If you feel like your sleep cycle has been completely thrown out of whack, it could be time to look for help in getting back to normal. Even though you may feel tired, you may still be in a position where sleep alludes you, and it is likely because your body is overloaded with stress hormones and cortisol, which is what is keeping you awake. This is where CBD for sleep might offer a solution.
Cannabidiol, also known by the acronym CBD, has received much attention recently for its potential to help with a wide range of ailments, including anxiety, mood enhancement, and more. Another area it could assist with is its ability to induce sleepiness and help you get a good night's rest.
According to a 2019 study published in The Permanente Journal on behalf of the National Institutes of Health, CBD was examined for its efficacy in not only treating anxiety problems and post-traumatic stress disorder but also sleep disorders. The results of the study displayed that the patients treated through the use of CBD over the course of three months saw an improvement in their sleep cycles, as well as a lessening of their anxiety and other mental anguish. Administered in doses of 25 mg of CBD, the cannabidiol was well received. Side effects were minimal and typically related to daytime sleepiness and higher doses of CBD.
It is believed that CBD can improve sleep processes because it triggers the body's endocannabinoid system, a biological system that is comprised of endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes that regulate a variety of bodily functions, including sleep, memory, appetite, and mood.
Phytocannabinoids like CBD have the potential to interact on an indirect basis with cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system, thereby encouraging the body to sleep as well as regulate other hormones that contribute to sleep loss.
How to Choose the Best CBD for Sleep
If you are interested in CBD for sleep quality improvement, then it is important to do your research and realize that not all CBD tinctures are created equal.
In order to feel confident knowing that you purchased a high-quality CBD product, only buy from a brand that engages in accredited, third-party lab testing and subsequently publishes its lab reports on its website. You must be able to see that what is on the label of your CBD oil actually is validated through testing processes.
This also ensures that the CBD oil is free of toxins, including pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, and solvents, and contains the concentration of CBD, terpenes, and other cannabinoids and plant parts that it claims.
Additionally, if you are buying a CBD product specifically to improve sleep quality, then you may want to consider a full-spectrum CBD tincture as opposed to a broad-spectrum or CBD isolate product. We find that many people note that they have a better experience with full-spectrum because it has a broad range of cannabinoids that work together. This creates synergy and effectively triggers the endocannabinoid system.
Finally, also consider specifically purchasing a product that contains melatonin, which is a natural hormone that regulates sleep alongside wakefulness. Boosting this particular hormone, which is already found in your body, can truly improve your sleep-wake cycle.
For the sake of this article, the source and quality of the CBD oils that we will discuss were properly vetted. All recommended products were derived from industrial hemp grown in the United States and contains under 0.3% THC, which is required by law. Additionally, all products have been tested by third-party labs to ensure their quality and safety.
Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
To sleep better, consider these three hemp-derived CBD oils:
3 Best CBD Oils for Sleep
Spruce CBD Oil
- $89.00 for 750 mg and $269.00 for 2400 mg.
- Offered in 750 mg with 25 mg of CBD per dropper and 2400 mg with 80 mg of CBD per dropper.
- The tinctures are full-spectrum, made in the United States, lab grade, organic, contain no pesticides, and are third-party tested.
- The 750 mg comes in peppermint flavor and the 2400 mg option has no flavoring added.
- Spruce CBD is a family-owned and operated brand, and they ship to all 50 states.
We like that this CBD oil comes in extra strength.
CBDistillery CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture
- $60.00 for 150mg of CBN and 450mg of CBD.
- All products are Non-GMO and made from natural farming practices.
- CBDistillery also has sleep gummies that are gluten-free, allergen-free, vegan, non-GMO, and kosher.
We like that this oil is specifically formulated for sleep. Additionally, this brand is a good choice for a CBD consumer who wants a full spectrum oil geared toward a particular cannabinoid blend, like CBN.
Plant People CBN Oil
- $49.99 for 360 mg bottle, $78.99 for a 720 mg bottle, and $119.99 for a 1440 mg bottle.
- The 360 mg bottle contains 12 mg of CBD per serving, the 720 mg bottle contains 24 mg of CBD per serving, and the 1400 mg bottle contains 48 mg of CBD per serving.
- The Drops+ Sleep tincture is organic, vegan, non-GMO, lab-tested, gluten-free, Dr. Formulated, CGMP standard, and aligns with a Keto diet.
- It contains the cannabinoids CBD and CBN, as well as terpenes, including Myrcene, which also promotes healthy sleep.
We like that this product not only helps improve sleep, but it also calms the mind and body, reduces stress, and promotes an inflammatory response to soothe muscles and promote recovery.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep plays an important role in your mental and physical health. When you have a healthy sleep cycle, your body and mind are able to engage in many restorative processes including healing and repairing cognitive and cardiac functions. Even though you may be dreaming, your body is actively working, boosting your immune system, fighting inflammation, regulating digestive processes, and so much more.
Without healthy sleep, one's body will not be able to effectively fight off diseases and the brain cannot function properly. This not only leads to physical health issues but also can result in a lack of concentration and clear thinking as well as impediments when trying to process and retain memories.
Sleep problems can also break down the circadian rhythm. For instance, light directly impacts this process. Inside the brain, there is a region of nerve cells called the hypothalamus. Within the hypothalamus is a cell cluster called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Here signals are processed when the eyes are exposed to natural or artificial light, which helps the brain identify whether it is day or night. When natural light dissipates in the evening, melatonin, a natural hormone, is released in the body, which is why you feel drowsy as the night wears on.
In the morning, as you near your wake cycle, cortisol, another hormone, is released, which helps you feel alert and ready for the day. This is the basis of a healthy sleep cycle, and when it is disrupted, or if your body doesn't produce the natural hormones it needs to regulate this cycle, then you may find yourself suffering for shut-eye.
Common Causes of Sleep Loss
Poor sleep can be caused by many different factors, including chronic pain, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. Financial and relationship worries can be culprits as well.
However, as we noted, CBD not only has the potential for helping as a sleep aid and improving sleep quality but also can mitigate and manage anxiety and assist with pain relief through its anti-inflammation properties.
Impacts of insomnia
Insomnia is a serious sleep disorder that can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). While it is incredibly common and can cause a person to have problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking far too early, the fact is, insomnia can drastically impact your energy level, your work performance, your quality of life, and has the potential to cause negative physical and mental health outcomes. Insomnia can be caused by stress, work and travel schedules, diet and exercise habits, too much screentime, life events such as divorce, job loss, and grief, medications, and more.
According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic insomnia can result in many of the health conditions we have referenced, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc., and can also cause depression and anxiety.
Many people who have insomnia turn to self-medicating in the form of alcohol and drug abuse because they believe it will help them get to sleep, or they turn to over-the-counter pills and pharmaceuticals, which can be habit-forming and addictive.
Right now, one in four Americans develops insomnia annually, according to Science Daily. However, insomnia remains the most prevalent sleep disorder in the United States, and 40 million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is no denying that we live in stressful times and because of that many people in the United States are experiencing problems with achieving healthy sleep patterns. However, there is no need to suffer through another night tossing and turning. CBD for sleep is proven to help regulate sleep cycles, promote restful sleep, and could assist with a variety of other medical conditions.
Just keep in mind that since CBD oil is not regulated by the FDA, you must do your due diligence. If you are considering introducing CBD for sleep quality improvement in your life, consult with a doctor if you have any existing medical conditions prior to beginning use.
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The speed and scale of the response to COVID-19 by governments, businesses and individuals seems to provide hope that we can react to the climate change crisis in a similarly decisive manner - but history tells us that humans do not react to slow-moving and distant threats.
A Game of Jenga
<p>Think of it as a game of Jenga and the planet's climate system as the tower. For generations, we have been slowly removing blocks. But at some point, we will remove a pivotal block, such as the collapse of one of the major global ocean circulation systems, for example the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), that will cause all or part of the global climate system to fall into a planetary emergency.</p><p>But worse still, it could cause runaway damage: Where the tipping points form a domino-like cascade, where breaching one triggers breaches of others, creating an unstoppable shift to a radically and swiftly changing climate.</p><p>One of the most concerning tipping points is mass methane release. Methane can be found in deep freeze storage within permafrost and at the bottom of the deepest oceans in the form of methane hydrates. But rising sea and air temperatures are beginning to thaw these stores of methane.</p><p>This would release a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, 30-times more potent than carbon dioxide as a global warming agent. This would drastically increase temperatures and rush us towards the breach of other tipping points.</p><p>This could include the acceleration of ice thaw on all three of the globe's large, land-based ice sheets – Greenland, West Antarctica and the Wilkes Basin in East Antarctica. The potential collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet is seen as a key tipping point, as its loss could eventually <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/324/5929/901" target="_blank">raise global sea levels by 3.3 meters</a> with important regional variations.</p><p>More than that, we would be on the irreversible path to full land-ice melt, causing sea levels to rise by up to 30 meters, roughly at the rate of two meters per century, or maybe faster. Just look at the raised beaches around the world, at the last high stand of global sea level, at the end of the Pleistocene period around 120,0000 years ago, to see the evidence of such a warm world, which was just 2°C warmer than the present day.</p>Cutting Off Circulation
<p>As well as devastating low-lying and coastal areas around the world, melting polar ice could set off another tipping point: a disablement to the AMOC.</p><p>This circulation system drives a northward flow of warm, salty water on the upper layers of the ocean from the tropics to the northeast Atlantic region, and a southward flow of cold water deep in the ocean.</p><p>The ocean conveyor belt has a major effect on the climate, seasonal cycles and temperature in western and northern Europe. It means the region is warmer than other areas of similar latitude.</p><p>But melting ice from the Greenland ice sheet could threaten the AMOC system. It would dilute the salty sea water in the north Atlantic, making the water lighter and less able or unable to sink. This would slow the engine that drives this ocean circulation.</p><p><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/atlantic-conveyor-belt-has-slowed-15-per-cent-since-mid-twentieth-century" target="_blank">Recent research</a> suggests the AMOC has already weakened by around 15% since the middle of the 20th century. If this continues, it could have a major impact on the climate of the northern hemisphere, but particularly Europe. It may even lead to the <a href="https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/39731?show=full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cessation of arable farming</a> in the UK, for instance.</p><p>It may also reduce rainfall over the Amazon basin, impact the monsoon systems in Asia and, by bringing warm waters into the Southern Ocean, further destabilize ice in Antarctica and accelerate global sea level rise.</p>The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has a major effect on the climate. Praetorius (2018)
Is it Time to Declare a Climate Emergency?
<p>At what stage, and at what rise in global temperatures, will these tipping points be reached? No one is entirely sure. It may take centuries, millennia or it could be imminent.</p><p>But as COVID-19 taught us, we need to prepare for the expected. We were aware of the risk of a pandemic. We also knew that we were not sufficiently prepared. But we didn't act in a meaningful manner. Thankfully, we have been able to fast-track the production of vaccines to combat COVID-19. But there is no vaccine for climate change once we have passed these tipping points.</p><p><a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-risks-report-2021" target="_blank">We need to act now on our climate</a>. Act like these tipping points are imminent. And stop thinking of climate change as a slow-moving, long-term threat that enables us to kick the problem down the road and let future generations deal with it. We must take immediate action to reduce global warming and fulfill our commitments to the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paris Agreement</a>, and build resilience with these tipping points in mind.</p><p>We need to plan now to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to plan for the impacts, such as the ability to feed everyone on the planet, develop plans to manage flood risk, as well as manage the social and geopolitical impacts of human migrations that will be a consequence of fight or flight decisions.</p><p>Breaching these tipping points would be cataclysmic and potentially far more devastating than COVID-19. Some may not enjoy hearing these messages, or consider them to be in the realm of science fiction. But if it injects a sense of urgency to make us respond to climate change like we have done to the pandemic, then we must talk more about what has happened before and will happen again.</p><p>Otherwise we will continue playing Jenga with our planet. And ultimately, there will only be one loser – us.</p>By John R. Platt
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