Spending months in quarantine has likely affected your sleep.
For some, it’s been a permission slip to merge with the couch and get 22 hours of shut-eye per day. For others though, sleep has been far more elusive.
If you’re part of the latter group, you know how frustrating insomnia is. Especially if you have to be alert and ready to face a day of homeschooling, Zoom meetings, or whatever else defines your new normal.
Fortunately, you don’t need to turn to prescription medication. Cannabis can help you sleep.
How Cannabis Can Help You Sleep
One of the reasons we’re so gung ho on cannabis marketing and public relations is that we truly believe in the power of the plant.
Cannabis consumers have many different reasons for using marijuana and those reasons are widely varied. So how can it be that a single plant can deliver so many different results? It’s not black magic. Rather, it’s cannabinoids.
There are over 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant and each one reacts differently with the human endocannabinoid system. This fact alone has kept scientists and researchers busy studying their various health benefits.
At this point, they’ve determined many that seem to have a positive impact on sleep. Three of the most well-known are CBD, CBN, and THC.
THC
Most of us are familiar with THC. Short for tetrahydrocannabinol, it’s the main psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis… the headliner, as it were. Although THC is what gets folks high, it does have a sedative effect too that can make it easier for some users to fall asleep.
New evidence shows that THC may improve breathing during sleep too, so that’s an added bonus. It also reduces time spent in REM sleep. That means you won’t dream as much. So if you’re struggling with PTSD or are especially anxious at this time and prone to disturbing dreams and nightmares, these can be lessened with the use of THC.
CBD
For some, the sedative effects of THC are apparent. For others, THC can have the reverse effect. So if you’ve been sensitive (i.e. prone to anxiety or paranoia) to marijuana in the past, you may want to opt for a non-psychoactive cannabinoid like CBD.
There is mounting evidence that CBD, or cannabidiol, promotes relaxation. Some scientists postulate that CBD actually works to counteract the high created by THC. So without the THC component, it works purely as a sedative.
Using CBD is nothing new. A 1981 study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reported that 160 mg of CBD helped patients gain “significantly more” sleep than a placebo. Since that time, CBD has gained even more attention for its ability to reduce anxiety and promote mental focus and clarity.
And unlike THC, CBD reduces anxiety and helps users relax without altering sleep-wake cycles.
CBN
Cannabinol, or CBN, is a lesser known cannabinoid that appears to have some pretty powerful sedative effects. These effects are potentially enhanced when combined with THC. So if you’re a fan of THC but it isn’t quite doing to the trick to take you to Sleepyland, find a strain with CBN to help seal the deal.
Like its more popular sibling CBD, CBN (without THC) does not disturb sleep cycles at all. And since sleep cycles are important for healthy rest and functioning, this is an important consideration.
Could Cannabis Be the Key In Helping You Sleep?
Reach out to a trusted expert at a highly reputable dispensary to assist you in picking out which cannabis can help you sleep. And remember, you don’t have to smoke or even vape to get the benefits. With edibles, tinctures, drinks, and lotions, you have countless options.
Sweet dreams!
And for more great stories about cannabis in the time of COVID-19, keep checking back with our blog!