Could CBD gummies be helpful for sleep?

If there is anything CBD is known for, it’s giving people a feeling of calmness. However, could those potential soothing properties actually help people calm enough to get them to sleep? Possibly. 

There is one piece of basic information about CBD that we haven’t quite covered yet that you need to know. Most animals (including humans) have a series of receptors known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The receptors of this system respond to stimulation from compounds in the body called endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids and cannabinoids are very similar, with a few differences. The main difference is that they are found in plants (and as a result, are often called phytocannabinoids) rather than synthesized in the body. Their similarities are enough that cannabinoids can actually interact with and cause reactions from the ECS. A study published in 2016 suggests that the ECS has a major impact on people’s sleep cycle. This means that cannabinoids may be able to have an effect on sleep. So, with this in mind, let’s look at some other studies on CBD and sleep. 

One study conducted in 2013, looked specifically on how CBD effects the sleep cycle of rats. The rats were broken up into groups based on how much CBD they were given. The researchers then recorded the rats’ sleep cycles before giving them the CBD to get an idea of what the regular cycle was like. Researchers noted the rats that were given 10mg/kg CBD had a significant increase in the amount of sleep, whereas the other groups either saw a decrease or no change. This conclusion suggests that with the right amount of CBD, a person’s sleep schedule could be improved upon.

Another study that was published in 2016 focused on the way CBD may be able to help a small child, who was struggling with insomnia caused by post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This child had had a traumatic early childhood. This led to the child struggling to fall and stay asleep. The researchers gave her a trial of CBD oil. The researchers report that it not only created an increasing improvement in the amount of sleep that she was getting, but it also created a drop in her anxiety symptoms.  

One thing that you should remember is that CBD research is still very new and most of the research has been done on rats. There have not been many yet that have been done on humans. However, the results are still encouraging because the ECS is still present in rats and humans, which suggest that the results could be similar if not the same. We need more research on people before we can say that it can or can’t help people.

So, could you take CBD gummies to help with sleep? Potentially, but it is important to talk about it with your healthcare provider first.