Cannabidiol and its influence on your sleep cycle
Difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or waking up early: a large group of Dutch people struggle with sleeping problems. Good sleep is not only important for proper functioning, but also to prevent health damage. Chronic poor sleep increases the risk of getting diseases and disorders. But poor sleep also causes reduced energy, concentration and memory problems and irritability. In the list of natural means that are tried to still get to sleep, CBD oil is increasingly higher.
It is mainly women who have sleeping problems, according to recent research by the Brain Foundation. Sleep data from no fewer than 140,000 people from 34 existing Dutch population surveys over the past 25 years was examined. Women generally sleep a little longer than men, but have a harder time falling asleep, have more trouble staying asleep and use more sleep medication than men, this study found. 11 percent of women in the age group 41 to 65 years use sleep medication vs. 4.6 percent of the men, in the age group 65+ that is even 17.5 percent of the women vs. 6.1 percent of men.
Prescription sleeping pills
However, not everyone is eager for sleeping pills from the doctor. They can help you sleep better for one or more days, but sleeping pills also have many disadvantages. For example, they have side effects such as drowsiness during the day and concentration problems and they increase the risk of falling in the elderly and thereby breaking a hip, for example. In any case, general practitioners are careful with prescribing these so-called benzodiazepines because you get used to them quickly. If you use them every day for a week, the effect decreases. So you need more and more sleeping pills to sleep. In short: within a few weeks you become addicted and dependent on such a substance. Doctors only recommend them when the need is very high and then only for a few days or temporarily every third night (1 night on, 2 nights off, and so on).
Natural resources
Natural remedies such as melatonin, chamomile and valerian have been sold for years in the fight against insomnia. Relatively new in this list is cannabidiol, or CBD oil as a natural tranquilizer. In the brain’s endocannabinoid system, the brain produces a type of marijuana that occurs naturally in the body: endocannabinoid 2-AG (arachidonoylglycerol), a protein-produced substance that has the same effect as THC, the active component in marijuana. The brain produces another type of marijuana in the body, namely anandamide. The exact role of both substances is not clear, but these include the regulation of appetite, pain sensation, memory and fears. And a shortage of it can lead to complaints such as difficulty concentrating, insomnia and restlessness.
How does CBD work?
The hemp plant – from which CBD oil is made – contains all kinds of substances, including cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are also produced in the human body and are important for the endocannabinoids mentioned above. This means, among other things, that your body absorbs the cannabinoids from hemp well and quickly and thus supplements the body’s own endocannabinoid level. This ensures that you fall asleep more easily, sleep longer and that the sleep quality improves. In addition, the CBD affects the entire sleep cycle; it increases the deep third stage of sleep and decreases the duration of REM sleep. The third stage of sleep is said to be the most important stage for those who suffer from a sleep disorder. A shorter period of REM sleep has been associated with a reduction in symptoms of depression. In addition, many CBD users report that they are more relaxed, sleep better and feel less tired during the day, which improves their energy levels.
Effects
Although more scientific research is needed into how the endocannabinoid system works, CBD does seem to be a natural alternative to prescription sleep aids. CBD generally has no side effects and can be used by almost everyone. Only women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are not recommended, simply because no research has yet been done. It can take a while before you notice an effect, so give it a few weeks and experiment with the dosage if necessary: one is enough with two drops a day and another may need a little more. Overdose is very unlikely, so you can test whether a higher dose is right for you. If you don’t notice any effect, stop taking it too; Unfortunately, CBD does not work for everyone.
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