Please note: the use of cannabis for medial or recreational purposes may be illegal in your country.
Are you having trouble getting good quality sleep? Well, you’re far from alone. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), around 70 million people suffer from some sort of sleep disorder, and $70 billion worth of sleep aids are sold each year, mostly medications.
Plus, 2020 wasn’t exactly the best year for sleep. Many of us started having problems sleeping with all the stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
This is perhaps why cannabis sales increased by almost 50% by the end of 2020. People were struggling with anxiety and sleeplessness, so they turned to cannabis since it’s well-known for its stress-relief effects. A few puffs of indica is often enough to make you relax and fall asleep. And if you’d prefer not to smoke it, there are, of course, many alternatives in licensed dispensaries.
Cannabis-related sleep effects have been studied since the 1970s, although high-quality studies are hard to come by because of the drug’s legal status. However, things have changed quite a bit in recent years, both in terms of legality as well as attitude.
Cannabis and Seep. What Do the Studies Say?
The Cannabis plant has many different compounds, but the most widely researched are CBD and THC. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it’s non-psychoactive, meaning it relaxes you but doesn’t make you “high.” THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is the compound that causes the effects we usually associate with being high on cannabis.
There are different strains of cannabis with different concentrations of THC and CBD. To learn more about this, you need to read about indica vs sativa differences. Nowadays, most cannabis plants are hybrids, but the ones closer to the indica strain are typically associated with sleep since they have a higher concentration of CBD.
If you’re looking for cannabis products to help you sleep better, you can start with CBD, and if that doesn’t work, you can try something with a low dose of THC.
The studies we have so far are mostly focused on either CBD or high THC doses. CBD has shown promising results as a potential treatment for some sleep disorders. THC, on the other hand, has been shown to decrease sleep latency but can have a negative effect on sleep quality long-term, which is why we recommend products with a low dose.
Keep in mind that research on how cannabis affects sleep is just now starting to pick up, and our understanding of the implications will probably be far more advanced in a few years.
Based on popular opinion, higher concentrations of THC typical of sativa strains are more energizing, while sativas with their high concentration of CBD are more sleep-inducing. But you can try different types of products and see which ones produce the best effects for you.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the terpene profile. Terpenes are produced by a variety of plants and are typically found in aromatherapy essential oils. For example, chamomile has been used for centuries to help relax the nervous system. You can find products that blend the benefits of cannabis with terpenes from chamomile, lavender, and hops.
