Can CBD Help You Sleep?

CBD may help with sleep in several ways. First, studies have found that CBD has a calming effect on the body, which can promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. When the body is in a relaxed state, it can be easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Second, CBD may help regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle. This cycle is controlled by a group of nerve cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN receives input from the eyes, which helps regulate the release of hormones like melatonin that are involved in sleep. CBD may help regulate this process, leading to a more consistent sleep-wake cycle.

Third, CBD may help reduce pain and inflammation, which can also contribute to sleep issues. Pain and inflammation can make it difficult to get comfortable and stay asleep, so reducing these symptoms can improve sleep quality.

Finally, the effects of CBD may offer relief for some of the underlying conditions that can cause sleep issues, such as anxiety, depression and stress. By offering relief from these conditions, CBD can indirectly improve sleep quality.

6 OTHER STEPS TO BETTER SLEEP:

1. Morning Sun Sets Your 'Body Clock'.

2. Learn To 'Digital Detox'.

3. Cut Out Caffeine.

4. Train To Sleep

5. Find 65 Degrees Fahrenheit (18.3°C)

6. Supplement Your Sleep

MORNING SUN SETS YOUR 'BODY CLOCK'.

Studies show that morning sunlight reinforces your natural circadian rhythm. This is because by exposing your eyes to this bright (natural) light early in the morning, you signal to your brain that bedtime is over, it’s time to suppress melatonin production and get up and attack the day. It also does this by increasing cortisol production since cortisol and melatonin operate indirectly to each other as research reveals, “These hormones can be considered to be stable markers of the circadian time structure and therefore useful tools to validate rhythms' synchronisation of human subjects.”[1]

Therefore, understand the best thing you can do to start (and therefore end) your day is set your “biological clock” by going for a morning run, swim or cycle and exposing your eyes to bright, natural sunlight like mother nature intended for your hypothalamus.

LEARN TO 'DIGITAL DETOX'.

Closely related to your morning (sunrise) rituals should be a conscious effort to manage and monitor the amount of light you’re pumping into your eyes from smartphones, computers and other electronic devices in the evening. This is because studies show, “Modern light exposure patterns contribute to late sleep schedules and may disrupt sleep and circadian clocks”[2] since the blue light that’s emitted from these screens can delay the release of sleep-inducing melatonin, increase alertness, and reset the body’s internal clock (or circadian rhythm) to a later schedule.

For all these reasons try imposing a daily “digital detox” on your evenings by abstaining from smartphones and computers and basically getting too up close to anything with a screen from 7pm onwards as you prep the brain (and therefore body) for bed.

CUT OUT CAFFEINE

As discussed caffeine is a stimulant so it’s no surprise it can badly impact on our sleep if too much is consumed at the wrong time of day.[3] This is why research reveals there is a strong association between daily intake of caffeine and reduced sleep quality and quantity[4]since caffeine consumption by day causes a reduction in 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (the main metabolite of melatonin) which interferes with our natural sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm).[5]

Now worth noting is the effects of caffeine on sleep vary from person to person since research reveals individuals respond differently based on a variety of factors, including age, sensitivity levels, regular coffee and caffeine intake, time of consumption and genetic variability[6]. But with this said, studies show even if taken 6 hours before bedtime, a moderate dose of caffeine (100mg which is about one home-brewed 8 oz. cup of coffee) can have disruptive effects on sleep[7]. Which is why I would advise to err on the side of caution and avoid coffee, tea and/or energy drinks at least 6 hours before getting tucked up into bed.

TRAIN TO SLEEP

In 2007 a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience wrote, “The present results are in agreement with findings from other authors and suggest that depletion of cerebral energy stores and accumulation of the sleep promoting substance adenosine after high intensity exercise may play a key role in homeostatic sleep regulation.”[8]

Or (put more simply) exercise can help you sleep by making you feel tired. This is because it’s believed exercise can lead to a build-up of adenosine which (as we discussed before) helps monitor fatigue within the body as it inhibits neural activity, causes drowsiness, and essentially tells our body to rest, recovery and rebuild our energy reserves.

Also, studies show it doesn’t have to be a savage, superhuman session to induce sleep either. Research from The International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity showed, “Moderate intensity exercise programs, with a frequency of three times per week and a duration of 12 weeks showed the highest number of significant improvements in different sleep outcomes.”[9] Whilst other studies show the type of exercise doesn’t matter[10] since everything from strength training to yoga was shown to have sleep enhancing benefits.[11]

FIND 65 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT (18.3°C)

A study published in the Journal of physiological anthropology found that, “The thermal environment (temperature of the room) is one of the most important factors that can affect human sleep.”[12] This has been supported by numerous studies over the year, but a large-scale analysis of 765,000 survey respondents and found that most people experience abnormal sleeping patterns during the hotter summer months when it may be more difficult to keep sleeping quarters at an optimal temperature[13].

So, what is the optimal temperature? Sleep scientists believe it’s between 60 and 67°F (15.6 and 19.4°C). This is because your body’s internal temperature changes during a 24-hour period due to your circadian rhythm. It begins to cool down when you go to bed and continues to drop until reaching its low point near daybreak (roughly 5am). But if the room temperature is too hot or cold, it may affect the drop in your body’s internal temperature and cause you to have disrupted sleep as your circadian rhythm malfunctions.

This doesn’t mean you have to take a thermometer to bed every night, but instead just be conscious of how hot or cold the room is and perhaps try setting your home’s thermostat to drop during your sleeping hours or open windows or turn on air conditioning or heat if the temperature rises or falls outside of the ideal sleeping range.

SUPPLEMENT YOUR SLEEP

As we’ve discussed melatonin is crucial to a good night’s sleep, which is why ever since scientists discovered it in 1958 there has been increasing scientific attention to the relationship of melatonin to diet. Cherries are one food known to be naturally high in melatonin which is why a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition[14] looked at whether drinking tart cherry juice would improve melatonin levels and sleep. Among the tart cherry-juice drinkers, melatonin levels and serotonin levels rose significantly which in turn improved the quality and quantity of their sleep.

What was even more interesting for me in my Recovery Mesocycle (in my fit yet fatigued state) was research published in the European Journal of Neurology found, “Melatonin supplementation may be an effective treatment for patients with chronic fatigue.”[15]

Finally, it’s important to mention that supplementing with melatonin is by no means a single solution or a ‘silver bullet’ sleep remedy. But studies show that once (and only once) you’re properly scheduling sleep, snoozing at 65°F (18.3°C), working in harmony with your circadian rhythm, exercising and cutting out caffeine (6 hours before bed) then supplementing your sleep with melatonin could be the proverbial cherry on top of your nighttime routine.