Insomnia has plagued the human race for centuries, claiming such famous victims as Vincent van Gogh and Abraham Lincoln. Insomnia is one of the most commonly reported sleep problems in the modern world, costing national healthcare systems astronomical amounts of money. About one in seven adults has chronic insomnia, jeopardising daytime functions such as working, going to school or caring for oneself.
Insomnia can be triggered by mental health conditions (such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder) and conditions that cause chronic pain (such as arthritis). But before we lose any more sleep over the issue, let’s take a deep dive into how CBD can be a natural solution to insomnia and insomnia-related issues.
Fall asleep, stay asleep
Studies in Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018) have shown that CBD could actually help improve sleep quality. An appropriate amount of CBD induces sedative effects in users with regular sleep cycles so you can fall asleep easier. It can also increase the total sleep time by preventing frequent awakenings in people suffering from insomnia.
Control your anxiety and sleep better
Depression, anxiety and stress are the most common causes of insomnia. CBD is a known regulator of stress hormones via its interactions with different receptors, proteins and chemicals in our brains. These interactions change our neurotransmitters, manage stress levels and bring improvements to non-REM sleep cycles.
Don’t let chronic pain ruin a good night’s sleep
Our endocannabinoid system (ECS) triggers our brains and causes the experience of pain. CBD contains natural anti-inflammatory properties that interact with the ECS to reduce swelling, relieve pain and loosen up tight muscles. If you suffer chronic pain that makes it hard to get into a comfortable sleeping position at night, taking CBD before bad can allow you to adopt unrestricted postures during sleep and reduce frequent awakenings.
Make a nightmare better with CBD
There is nothing worse than waking up from an anxiety induced nightmare and feeling foggy and incapacitated the next day from a terrible night’s sleep. CBD is directly associated with dopamine in the brain, the chemical neurotransmitter responsible for memory, focus and mental awareness, meaning it can help counterbalance the loss of focus and concentration caused by a sleepless night. We can’t control our bad dreams but let’s not lose the next day to it too.
Research and studies have proven that CBD can help prevent insomnia by stabilising sleep cycles and improve sleep quality by reducing anxiety and physical pain. If you do lose that precious nights sleep, CBD can also help make the next day less painful than it needs to be by counterbalancing the negative impacts of insomnia such as concentration loss.
