You should already know that a good night’s sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is during sleep that long-term memories are created, muscles and tissues are repaired, metabolic wastes are flushed out, etc. So, it is an important biological process that plays a key role in homeostasis. Here, we will look at the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) as a sleeping aid.
Cannabis And Cannabinoids
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid commonly found in the cannabis family of plants. CBD health and wellness products available in the US are made using the cannabidiol-rich parts of hemp plants whose THC content is less than 0.3%. You must also know that THC and CBD are isomers, i.e., they have the same chemical formula but different molecular structures. Also, they have sleep-inducing, stress, and anxiety-reducing effects.
CBD For Sleep Disorders
One of the potential CBD health benefits is its ability to induce good nighttime sleep. However, research on this aspect of cannabidiol is limited, and hence it is not recommended by healthcare experts for sleep disorders. Also, anecdotal evidence from patients using CBD for pain relief suggests that they sleep better. But it is not clear whether they are sleeping better due to pain relief or because of CBD’s direct effects.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder where it is difficult for a person to fall asleep or stay asleep. Besides, this disorder can affect daytime wakefulness, mood, and ability to focus. You must also know that one of the major causes of insomnia is anxiety.
CBD may be useful for treating insomnia because of its anxiolytic effects. Also, studies using brain scans have revealed that cannabidiol reduced the blood flow to brain regions associated with anxiety, i.e., the limbic system, especially the amygdala.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
REM sleep is the most important phase of nighttime sleep. Patients with REM sleep behavior disorder make aggressive movements and verbalize during the REM phase of sleep. This condition is more common in patients with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In a limited study, it was found that cannabidiol (CBD) may be useful for managing the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder.
On a final note, research on the effectiveness of CBD for inducing sleep gives hope that it can be used as part of conventional treatment for sleep disorders.