Get Better Sleep with CBD and Melatonin – Are you looking for a natural way to support better sleep and reset your sleep schedule? Do you work odd hours or do a lot of travelling across time zones, and need a way to get better sleep? Cannabidiol (CBD) and melatonin can help, whether you use them together or separately.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that your brain creates when it gets dark. Its production lets your body know that it’s time to sleep. Some people, especially those who suffer from insomnia, may produce less melatonin than others, but melatonin supplements can help.
CBD is a chemical found in hemp and marijuana. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it isn’t intoxicating. THC is the chemical in marijuana that causes users to feel “high”. CBD doesn’t cause a high, but researchers have found that it may have benefits for sleep support, as well as anxiety and stress relief.
What the Research Says About CBD for Sleep
Research into the benefits of CBD is ongoing, but studies so far have found that the compound has some benefit for sleep support. One study found that a dose of 160 milligrams of CBD helped study participants sleep longer.
Sleep researchers believe that people with insomnia may experience higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, at night (people without insomnia experience their highest cortisol levels early in the day). A study on the effect of CBD on sleep and anxiety has found that doses of 300 to 600 milligrams of CBD oil can cause a significant decrease in cortisol levels, which can relieve nighttime anxiety and stress and help you fall asleep. Another study of 103 participants found that a CBD dose of 25 milligrams improved sleep in 56.1 percent of participants.
A retrospective study has found that doses of 40 to 400 milligrams of CBD are well-tolerated over the long term and did not have any toxic effects on study participants. There have been no reports of anyone overdosing on CBD. Doses as high as 1,500 milligrams per day are well tolerated, although people taking larger doses of CBD have reported more intense feelings of drowsiness and sedation.
What You Need to Know About Using Melatonin for Sleep
Melatonin has a much longer history of use for sleep support, even at high doses. It occurs naturally in the brain, so it’s safe for use even at high doses of 10 milligrams or more – although most people find that there is no increased drowsiness benefit for doses about 5 milligrams. Melatonin is non-habit forming. However, it’s not something you should take every night on a long-term basis, simply because doing so can impair your brain’s natural ability to create melatonin. People who take melatonin often may find that they wake back up after a few hours, when their initial dose of melatonin wears off.
How to Use CBD and Melatonin for Sleep
Because melatonin helps you fall asleep and CBD helps you stay asleep, a supplement combining both CBD and melatonin can be the best choice if you’re looking for a natural sleep aid. You should take a CBD and melatonin supplement about two hours before you want to go to bed. The goal when taking these supplements is not to make yourself feel sleepy soon after taking them, but rather, it’s to reset your circadian rhythm or, if you’re working the graveyard shift or suffering from jet lag, to help your body adjust to the new schedule.
In addition to taking CBD and melatonin, you should also practice good sleep hygiene. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, and don’t use your bed for anything but sleep and having sex. If you don’t have a nighttime routine before bed, you should develop one. Performing the same routine every night lets your brain know that it’s time to start winding down for bed. Your routine can include taking a warm bath, drinking some soothing herbal tea, and doing something quiet and calming like meditating or reading for a while before you go to bed.
If you have problems falling asleep, avoid drinking caffeine after breakfast time. Get some exercise every day, but make sure you’re finished at least 90 minutes before your bedtime, so your body has time to calm back down. If you’re the type to lie in bed and worry, put a pencil and paper next to your bed and write down your worries as they occur to you. This will help get them out of your head so you can sleep.
Get out of bed at the same time every morning, even on weekends and days off. When you get up, get outside and get some morning light. This will help you reset your circadian rhythms, too.
It’s really frustrating how something as simple as falling asleep can be so difficult sometimes. With the help of a healthy sleep routine and the right CBD and melatonin supplement, you can get the rest you need to take on all that life throws your way.
