cbd foR sLEEP

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Happy Halloween everyone! Today I wanted to talk a little about CBD (cannabidiol) and how it can help people, in particular with sleep issues.

CBD has been in the news lately as the medicinal benefits are being tested more and more. As I have a number of chronic conditions, this research has always interested me. I am on so many really strong medications that anything I can do naturally to help relive my symptoms and possibly reduce the amount of them I need to take, would be a huge bonus.

Sleep problems

People struggle with their sleep for so many reasons. Anxiety, sleep disorders, stress and chronic illnesses are just a few of them. I know that lockdown has also increased the number of people struggling with sleep problems and I wrote about this on my blog a couple of months ago.

There are lots of ideas to help aid a better night’s sleep and these include:

• Put your phone away! – for so many reasons, this can help lower your anxiety, give your brain chance to wind down and reduce your exposure to blue light
• Use lavender – this is used to calm and is available in so many different forms including candles, pillow sprays, bubble bath and more
• Use a sleepcast – I have a couple of different apps with these on and they really do help. Some are similar to a guided meditation and some are like stories that people read in a calm and gentle voice
• Stick to a routine – having a regular bed and wake time can really help make sure you get a full night’s sleep

Find even more ideas on my post for World Sleep Day – 14 Ideas To Help Aid A Better Night’s Sleep

CBD For Sleep

So how does CBD help with sleep? CBD comes from the hemp plant. Derived from this plant and used alone, it does not cause the ‘high’ effect as the THC element is not present. It is usually available in three forms – as an oil, as capsules/edibles and as a vape.

Getting a good amount of good quality sleep is important for everyone. Research is still being conducted on the effectiveness of using CBD for sleep but early results are promising. CBD is known to help ease anxiety, so this one way it is potentially useful for aiding sleep. If it is used in the day time to ease pain etc, it may also increase your productivity and mean you are more tired and ready to sleep at night.

Obviously, the effects of CBD will be personal to everyone and they may vary, but I was really interested to read this piece on Huff Post about Leigh Weingus’s experience of using CBD for her sleep issues. She appeared to have really positive outcomes and also found that the effects were ongoing. I know some things I have tried before work for a couple of days, but then the effects very quickly wear off!

Using something like CBD is a very personal choice and I know some may not feel confident enough to give it a try at the moment and that is fine! I love that more research is being done on it though, as I think looking into more natural therapies can only be a good thing. I am currently testing out some CBD products and will be sharing what I think on here very soon, so watch this space! Have you tried CBD for any of your problems before? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below! Take care and keep safe everyone,