About CBD For Sleep
CBD For Sleep may help promote sleep by connecting with receptors in your endocannabinoid system, or ECS. These receptors control many functions, including circadian rhythm, or the internal body clock that controls your sleep and wake cycles. CBD has also been shown to increase levels of the molecule anandamide, which is believed to promote sleep.
Researchers have studied CBD’s effect on sleep by using both behavioral experiments and electrophysiological recordings. In one behavioral study, rats who took CBD slept longer than rats who didn’t take the drug. They also showed more of a certain type of sleep called NonREM, which is associated with memory formation. The CBD-treated rats also had less long ripples in the brain’s oscillation pattern, which might be related to better memory retention.
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In another behavioral experiment, researchers recorded electrophysiological data from rats who were given CBD or vehicle (VEH). They manually scored the signal for different sleep stages. The results indicated that CBD increased the amount of time spent in NonREM sleep at the end of a 45-min bin. It did not change the amount of Intermediate or REM sleep or the number of transitions between stages.
Other studies that have looked at how CBD affects sleep have found mixed results. For example, a 2019 study of people with anxiety found that the drug improved their sleep, but it did not make them drowsy at bedtime. The study also noted that the changes were not sustained. A 2020 review of clinical case studies of psychiatric patients with sleep or anxiety disorders found that CBD often improves both sleeping and anxious problems in the short term.