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If you’re looking to improve your sleep routine, you’re not alone. The CDC estimates that 1 in 3 adults regularly don’t get sufficient sleep. If you’re looking to incorporate CBD into your nightly routine, we can help you find the perfect CBD oil dosage for sleep.
Will CBD help you sleep?
First, let’s start with a little background. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in hemp that many people have found works to improve sleep. More research is needed, but mounting evidence suggests that it may help your body maintain balance and stability due to the way it interacts with different receptors in your endocannabinoid system (ECS). If you’re not getting restful sleep, CBD could be a good place to start.
Because CBD isn’t intoxicating, it won't get you stoned. Instead, studies show its balancing effects can play a role in many different aspects of our overall health and wellness due to its relationship with the ECS. By binding to the receptors in the endocannabinoid system, it may help in balancing many of our immune system responses–such as appetite and metabolism, mood and memory, and sleep-wake cycles.
We can’t tell you CBD will be the end of all your sleep troubles, but think of it as a helpful tool to bolster your nightly routine. Because of how it interacts with the ECS, scientific studies suggest CBD could be a big help in getting good, solid sleep. Before we dive into that, let’s explore why we can have trouble sleeping in the first place—and how CBD fits into the equation.
Why you may have trouble sleeping
Many factors can contribute to poor sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic, insomnia may be linked with anxiety, PTSD, depression, or other mental health issues.¹ Certain medications may also disturb your sleep cycle—and physical conditions could keep you up at night. Things like drinking caffeine too late in the day, uncomfortable beds, and loud noises all lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep.
Your evening routine might also be ineffective. According to The Sleep Foundation, establishing a bedtime ritual builds better habits that make it easier to fall asleep at night by reducing anxiety and improving circadian rhythm.²
That said, there are many reasons why sleep may not come easily. Combating insomnia is vital to our long-term health and wellness, however. Poor sleep leaves us more susceptible to experiencing delayed reactions, mood swings, and attention problems.³ Sleeping for less than seven hours a night may even lead to physical issues like increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, and stroke.
How CBD can potentially improve sleep
If you're experiencing insomnia from any of the many factors above, CBD might help manage its causes—like stress, anxiety, physical discomfort, and poor circadian rhythm.⁴ While there is still research to be done to definitively correlate CBD with better sleep, research does suggest CBD could help with maintaining a prime state for achieving a good night's rest.
Anxiety is one of the leading causes of restlessness at bedtime. A 2019 study exploring whether CBD could help with sleep and anxiety found that 79.2% of patients who took 25mg of CBD in a CBD oil capsule for 30 days felt less anxious after a month—and 66.7% reportedly slept better.⁵
Pain and inflammation could also be factors in sleep issues such as insomnia. In 2018, a review published in Frontiers In Pharmacology found evidence that CBD may assist with maintaining a healthy inflammatory response.⁶ Authors of the report noted by possibly mitigating day-to-day discomforts, CBD could also improve sleep.
Some evidence also suggests that CBD may affect our sleeping and waking cycles, which may improve sleep quality and energy levels throughout your day. Research from 2014 discovered CBD may have improved symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which can cause nightmares and inadequate sleep.⁷ Later, a 2017 review noted CBD may potentially treat RBD, as it showed potential for treating grogginess and sleepiness typical of RBD and insomnia the next day.⁸
CBD has a balancing impact on our endocannabinoid system (ECS) in general. A functioning ECS could result in balanced sleep hormone production, which can help regulate hunger, metabolism, mood, memory, and sleep-wake cycles.
How much CBD oil to take for sleep
In addition to helping you rest, many researchers suggest that CBD could be a beneficial product for sleep as it could counteract factors that contribute to insomnia. Plenty of anecdotal evidence has also shown CBD can help with sleep in a major way.
CBD oils are one of the more popular delivery methods when it comes to sleep. They can be taken sublingually and orally through a cup of bedtime tea, and typically kick in after about 15 minutes to an hour. The effects typically last from four to twelve hours, meaning they may have the potential to help you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
If you're wondering what the best CBD oil dosage for sleep is, you will first want to consider your weight, the severity of possible symptoms preventing you from sleeping, and body chemistry. Below is a rule of thumb guide for what CBD dosage is suggested considering factors like body weight and intensity of the symptoms potentially preventing the restorative rest you need.
|
Desired Effect |
50-100lbs bodyweight |
100-150lbs bodyweight |
150-200lbs bodyweight |
200+ lbs bodyweight |
|
Mild |
10-25mg |
20-40mg |
25-50mg |
40-75mg |
|
Moderate |
25-50mg |
40-75mg |
50-100mg |
75-150mg |
|
Extreme |
50-100mg |
75-150mg |
100-200mg |
150-200mg |
Keep in mind that each of our bodies react to CBD differently—what might work for some might not work for you. Be patient and remember you may not see results immediately. As CBD offers potentially balancing effects, the best way to take CBD is daily for at least 30 days. If you're unsure where to begin when it comes to dosing CBD, start with a smaller serving size and work your way up to a higher dose until you find the perfect amount for managing your sleep problems.
Using CBD for sleep
If you're thinking about adding CBD oil into your daily routines, first start by consulting your doctor to rule out the possibility of CBD use interfering with any other medication. For the best results, you'll want to be sure you take your CBD oil daily for at least thirty days.
It's also worth noting CBD could be slightly invigorating. With that in mind, you might not want to take it right before you lay down to go to sleep. It might serve you better to take it an hour or two before bed to help with the process of unwinding and to ensure your serving has taken effect to be most effective when you do finally lay your head to rest.
Remember, CBD is only one part of a healthy nightly routine supported by a regulated sleep cycle. Even minor changes–unplugging from technology an hour before bed, drinking tea, taking a warm shower, stretching, meditating, and preparing your bedroom for the next day–all can pay off when it comes to falling asleep and staying asleep.
Try your best to be consistent and intentional with your new routine—and learn what works best for you and your body. Setting wellness goals, paired with CBD oil to promote restful sleep, is a great starting point. Our specially formulated Sleep Collection offers a perfect blend of soothing, science-backed ingredients like lemon balm and passionflower, along with a trio of full-spectrum cannabinoids (CBD, CBG & CBN) that encourage proper rest.
At Lazarus Naturals, we are here to support you with each step on your journey to wellness—and we believe restorative sleep is a crucial place to start. Explore our line of CBD products today. From full-spectrum CBD tinctures, CBD gummies, CBD edibles, CBD sleep capsules, and more, better sleep is just a drop away.
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Sources:
¹https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html
²https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167
³https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/bedtime-routine-for-adults
⁵https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/
⁶https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277878/
⁷https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24845114/
⁸https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-017-0775-9