The cannabis plant has long been used in many cultures across the world for both medicinal and recreational purposes. We now know that the compounds called cannabinoids are responsible for the effects of the cannabis plant and out of these cannabinoids, THC and CBD are the most abundant ones. Both these compounds affect the brain but in a different way. The main difference between the two is that CBD is not impairing, that is it does not give a high to the user, whereas THC can have mind-altering effects on the user.
Some of the recent studies conducted on CBD showed that it can also be helpful as a sleep aid. Let us see if CBD can help you sleep and whether it has any risks.
CBD And Sleep
Increasing public interest in the benefits of CBD has encouraged many to study the effects of CBD on the human body. Some of the early studies done on CBD shows that high doses of the same might aid the user in having quality sleep. One of the studies found that when compared to a placebo, a dose of 160mg of CBD helped increase the duration of sleep.
The sleep pattern of a person is connected to the levels of cortisol hormone in the body of the person. The level of the hormone will be more in the daytime and it will decrease at the night. However, those suffering from insomnia will have high levels of the hormone at night. A study that was conducted to find the effect of CBD on sleep revealed that having high doses of CBD can decrease the levels of cortisol hormone in the user’s body. The results of the study suggest that CBD can control the release of cortisol and that using CBD as a sleep aid can be an effective option for people suffering from insomnia.
Another analysis of CBD and sleep was done on 103 people who suffered from poor sleep or anxiety disorders. The dosage of CBD used ranged from 25 mg to 175 mg. The analysis found that 25 mg was the most effective dosage of CBD for anxiety. However, larger doses of CBD was necessary to address sleep issues. As per the findings of the three-month study, the researchers concluded that CBD can help treat sleep disorders in the short term. However, the effects of CBD may not be sustained.