The Benefits of CBD Oil in Relation to Sleep
Health, wellbeing and even happiness are all elevated to higher levels as the result of a good night’s sleep.
Getting enough good quality sleep is also linked to a healthy memory, helps grow and repair muscle and tissue, and improves immunity resilience, lowering the frequency of illness.
Obtaining a high quality night’s sleep that allows you to rest and recover optimally is not as simple as just getting into bed and closing your eyes though!
Ideally, sleep should not take too long to attain (you should fall asleep quickly!), be uninterrupted - working through cycles of lighter and deeper (REM) sleep, and last between 7 and 9 hours. Note the use of the word ideally!
Many factors come into play in both your ability to fall asleep and to then be able to get high quality, minimally interrupted sleep. These can include, but are not limited to;
- Individual psychological stress levels
- Individual physical stress levels
- Any pain or injuries – especially if inflamed, or aggravated by movement
- Exposure to screens on electronic devices close to bedtime
- Light levels
- Temperature – of both body and room
- Anxiety about anything coming up which may be on your mind
- Sleep conditions such as Insomnia or REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep behaviour disorder
How can CBD oil help with sleep?
Sleep disorders - CBD has been shown to have positive effects on sleep disorders such as;
- Insomnia – especially when the insomniac has anxiety regarding their ability to fall asleep and remain asleep, as CBD is proven to help combat anxiety.
- REM sleep behaviour disorder – which is more prevalent in the elderly and those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Early research shows positive links with reducing the severity of these diseases, although more research is needed to identify required doses and provide more data.
Anxiety – the vast majority of anxiety sufferers quote it as a reason they struggle to fall asleep, why they are restless during sleep, and why they wake up during the night; due to apprehension and anxiety around issues or fears. Anxiety can also contribute to sleep disorders. CBD is known to help relieve the impact of anxiety, and has a calming effect on a persons mood because of how it effects the serotonin system in the body. It’s positive effect on anxiety and mood is one of the main reasons people take CBD.
Epilepsy – epilepsy is a neurological disorder, which can often lead to severe seizures. Some epilepsy sufferers using CBD have seen positive results in lessening the severity and frequency of seizures. As confidence that seizures will have less of an impact, epileptics are more relaxed when trying to fall asleep, so will be able to benefit from a less stressful route to sleep.
Pain – multiple studies have shown that CBD can reduce chronic pain (including arthritis) and reduce inflammation by interacting with endocannabinoid receptors (the endocannabinoid system is involved in regulating pain and sleep [amongst other things…..that’s another blog though!]). For this reason, if people who struggle to sleep due to excess or chronic pain take CBD, they will find it less difficult to fall asleep, and are less likely to have disturbed sleep due to pain.
CBD has been shown to have a long list of other potential benefits, including;
- Treatment of acne
- Reducing blood pressure
- Helping in diabetes prevention
- Antipsychotic effects
- Reducing severity of depression
If any of the impact of the above list can be reduced, this will have a positive domino effect of reducing anxiety and allowing for a longer, higher quality sleep.
In summary; CBD can have a myriad of benefits on people suffering with sleep disorders and issues with sleep linked to many factors, especially anxiety and pain.
This means CBD is proving more and more popular with those looking to improve the amount, and quality of sleep they get, which in turn has a beneficial impact on their lives.
Check out the CBD products on our site, and see which best suits your needs!