An article from Consumer Reports stated that almost 80% of Americans say they have trouble sleeping at least once a week, according to a recent nationally representative Consumer Report survey of 1267 U.S. adults. They also found that many existing treatments, particularly prescription and over-the-counter drugs, are often not very effective and are risky as well.
Joseph Maroon, M.D., a clinical professor and neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who has researched the effect of cannabis on the brain, says that CBD has properties that could help some people sleep better, especially those who suffer from anxiety.
Research hints that CBD may also affect sleep directly, by interacting with receptors in the brain that govern the body’s daily sleep/wake cycles.
CBD STUDY SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP
In a 2019 study conducted by Scott Shannon, MD, Nicole Lewis, ND, and Shannon Hughes, PhD of 72 adults found that 66.7% of those studied had improved sleep after using CBD. In addition, anxiety rates decreased in 79% of those studied. Since anxiety can cause one to lose sleep, the reduction of anxiety is important.
FROM HARVARD HEALTH PUBLISHING
“CBD is commonly used to address anxiety, and for patients who suffer through the misery of insomnia, studies suggest that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep”
CONCLUSION
As we always state, we need more research to give a definitive answer about CBD and insomnia. Yet, the research we do have seems to indicate that the use of CBD can help people fall asleep and stay asleep. Anecdotal evidence is extremely promising as many people using CBD have reported better sleep. There is enough evidence to encourage the use of CBD for insomnia, especially since it has no severe side effects like those of prescription medication.