Cannabis vs. Sleep: 9 Side Effects of CBD Before Bedtime

What is cannabidiol (CBD)?

Cannabis is an herb plant that belongs to the Cannabis sativa group. This widely-known plant is often associated with terms like CBD, THC, CBN, Delta-8, Delta-9, etc. These are all different versions of psychoactive drugs obtained from the same cannabis plant belonging to the Cannabis sativa class. 

CBD is one of the two main cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant—Cannabidiol, aka. CBD, in its purest form, does not consist of any psychoactive properties. After being harvested, it goes through a specific procedure known as decarboxylation to reestablish its psychoactive capacities.

Relationship of cannabis with sleep

CBD is said to influence your sleep cycle. However, the concept is very foggy, whether it helps you fall asleep or leaves you with sleepless nights. 

As a non-psychoactive compound, CBD is mostly used in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to its high therapeutic properties, CBD has now become a reliable source of sedative medications. 

CBD performs in our body through a system known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). This system contains two receptors, namely, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). These receptors regulate bodily phenomena such as the sleep cycle, mood, perception, or other cognitive functions. 

Though there is still no evidence of CBD being helpful to users with sleep disorders, many users who are new to the usage of this drug have commented, “Consuming CBD before sleep has helped me fall asleep.” However, the confusion still remains as veteran users balk at these very statements. According to them, “Long-term usage of cannabis has brought back my insomnia.”.

 Effects of CBD on your sleep cycle

Does CBD help improve sleep?

This is a common question among both experienced and inexperienced CBD users. The question cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ 

A vast CBD population believes that CBD has a good impact on their sleep cycle, while others strongly disagree. Several studies have been conducted over the years to understand the fundamentals of CBD and sleep. Still, promising outcomes have yet to be gathered.

Is CBD associated with REM sleep?

REM sleep, or Rapid Eye Movement sleep, is the last of all the four phases of sleep. As the name suggests, the phenomenon is associated with the rapid movement of one’s eye during sleep. This phenomenon is mainly associated with deep sleep and good mental health. It is said that if you have had enough REM sleep, you will wake up feeling refreshed and energized.

Now, the question is,

how is CBD associated with REM sleep? 

Some studies show that CBD has a positive effect on anxiety-related REM sleep suppression but does not affect the NREM phase. However, specialists have agreed that CBD does not change the sleep module of our body but affects different body types differently. 

Can CBD be used to treat insomnia?

While research on CBD is still in its earliest stages, a survey conducted in 2022 states that CBD might assist with easing sleeping disorders or insomnia, either alone or blended in with equivalent amounts of THC.

Will CBD edibles help you fall asleep?

According to the 2022 study, mixed opinions have been seen in the world of CBD edibles. While previous research has shown promising results from consuming CBD gummies or using CBD oil for medical purposes, the controversy remains about its influence on the sleep cycle. 

A large-scale survey was conducted, and many users were seen to express their discomfort with consuming CBD right before going to bed.

On the other hand, a large mass of people greatly appreciated the consumption of CBD before falling asleep. 

Due to its high therapeutic abilities, CBD can be widely used to treat many other disorders, such as:

• Indigestion 
• Migraine
• PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• Inflammations 
• Skin infections 

Potential health benefits of using CBD before bed

Getting a good night’s sleep is very important to start your day afresh. Suppose you are having trouble sleeping uninterrupted at night. In that case, you might want to get your hands on this magic potion, which can help you restore your natural sleep cycle. With medical supervision and limited doses, you can regain your healthy sleeping hours. According to the experts, there are multiple health benefits of using CBD right before bed; let us have a look at how it will be beneficial for you:

It’s all about timing

Timing is essential when it comes to using CBD before going to sleep.  Due to its non psychoactive properties, the effects take much time to kick after consuming. Sometimes the effects are already visible within an hour of consuming CBD and sometimes it takes longer than 4-5 hours. Many users have also reported getting hangovers the following day due to their mismanagement of time. Therefore, it is very important to choose your CBD intake timings wisely.

Sleep stress-free

As the compound works with CB1 and CB2 receptors, CBD is very likely to calm your nerves and reduce the feeling of restlessness in your body. Thus allowing you a stress-free good night’s rest. Patients with anxiety, PTSD, or stress-related disorders are often prescribed CBD intakes of a specific dosage by doctors.

Treating Insomnia

Though there are various opinions about using CBD for treating insomnia in the medical world, many CBD users have confirmed their satisfaction with using CBD as a sleep aid. From recent surveys of 2022, multiple mixed theories have come up in this matter. Some veteran users suggest that CBD might help in treating insomnia, while others say otherwise. However, it is always better to taste by yourself rather than relying on any theories. Consult with your medical supervisor and start your CBD journey safely.

The golden CBD ratio

Cannabis with high potency, which is rich in THC, can be too stimulating for you at bedtime. According to the expert’s recommendation, the most effective ratio of CBD intake at bedtime is 5:1 or  10:1 (CBD: THC) ratio. These ratios provide significant relaxation with minimal psychoactive effects.

CBD may improve breathing

Sleep apnea is a sleep condition, described by successive blocks of breath, with slips that can endure anywhere from a couple of moments to a few minutes. As you can imagine, sleep apnea causes an individual to wake up multiple times over the course of the night. Recent studies show that regular supervised CBD intake may improve this condition. 

Risk Factors Of CBD Before Bedtime

Due to its low psychoactive content, CBD does not contain many risk factors. Yet, there are a few precautions you might take before stepping into CBD consumption.

Hangover

 If you are consuming CBD at night, you might wanna know how it can affect you in the morning. A survey from 2022 shows that a huge number of CBD users have reported their extreme hangover the following day after consuming CBD the night before. Thus, know the dose of CBD that will suit you the best according to your body type.

Discontinuing long-term use may lead to sleepless nights

A sleep study from 2008 states that discontinuing your long-term CBD usage might lead to severe sleep disorders. This might affect your organic sleeping procedure, resulting in shorter sleep duration, wave sleep, worse sleep efficiency, shorter REM sleep and regular sleep disruptions.

Cannabis consumption at a young age

In 2014, an effective survey was conducted among 1,811 teenagers to confirm the side effects of consuming CBD at a very young age. From the survey, it was found that particularly before the age of 15, CBD intake can lead to severe sleep disorders, which can continue throughout adulthood, resulting in insomnia and various permanent sleeping maladies.