This is the funny one. One of the main things you hear about both CBD & cannabis is that people use them to help with sleep. But these cannabinoids are the most unpredictable & tricky to figure out what works for you.

Basically, you have 4 molecules worth trying: CBD, THC, oleamide & CBN. THC is the molecule in cannabis that gets you high – and CBD is the one that you that doesn’t get you high. Oleamide is an endocannabinoid related to sleep & CBN is a lesser-known cannabinoid from the plant that’s associated with sleepiness.

The problem is while low levels of CBD tend to put people to sleep, high levels can be alerting like a cup of tea. In addition, everyone’s endocannabinoid system is different & you don’t know how will CBD will affect you until you try it. For me, it always keeps me awake (in a nice way) – but I never take it after 5PM. For my wife, it always puts her to sleep & its just the thing before bedtime. To find out, you must experiment.

I would start with 5 to 10 mg of CBD in a full spectrum hemp extract 30 minutes before bed. See if that helps for going to sleep. For some people, it will help them go to sleep – but you still wake up in the middle of the night. You can take more CBD to help get yourself back to sleep.

(oils get into your system faster than edibles or capsules)

If that much CBD isn’t helping or hurting your sleep after a few days, keep increasing the amount by 10 mg every few days to see if you find the sweet spot you’re looking for. If you find the right among, congrats! The nice part about CBD is that tolerance generally does not develop to the effects & you can keep taking the same amount each night.

If you find that the CBD is keeping you awake, you can take it in the morning & around lunch time. It’s ability to lessen anxiety may be helpful in improving your mindset for falling asleep at night. For a good source of CBD-rich hemp extracts, I recommend CV Sciences because I’ve worked with them & know they make quality products.

After you worked with CBD & found out what works (or doesn’t), you can try THC. This one is also tricky because while studies show that it generally helps people to fall asleep, it’s not as good as improving the quality of your sleep once you’re in it. Also, THC tends to make people not have as much REM sleep so many heavy smokers notice that they no longer dream while ingesting THC.

THC is easier to find what works for you. 30 minutes to an hour before bed, simply take a puff or two of cannabis (if available – or a Reserve Gummy from CV Sciences with 2.5 mg of THC would also do the trick). Then see if it helps you fall asleep or if it makes you lay there thinking dreamy thoughts – but not sleeping. It could be either. THC will primarily be helping with the falling asleep stage.

Oleamide is a cannabinoid neurotransmitter already in your head – and it’s related to sleep. They initially found it by keeping cats awake for three days – and then looking in their spinal fluid. That means it’s what your body uses to signal when its crying out for sleep.

You can find good sources of it on the internet & taking 250 mg 30 minutes before bed can be very effective for falling asleep. If you take a lot of oleamide, it does have a (pleasant) psychoactive effect. The general rule is: one scoop to sleep, 4 scoops to have a good time.

The amount that works for you may vary – but oleamide being quite safe, you can search for a sweet spot that works for you.

While the actual research on CBN’s sleep-inducing is sparse – it’s become an underground phenomena because of the anecdotal reports. Similar to THC, to experiment with CBN, simply take 10 mg of CBN 30 minutes to an hour before bed.

CV Sciences makes a nice Sleep Gummy that combines CBD & melatonin. If none of the above works, give that a try.

None of these replace other good sleep hygiene habits:

• Have a relaxing bedtime routine & go to bed at a consistent time

• No screens for 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Lay off the late day caffeine. And booze doesn’t help either.

• Make your bedroom dark, relaxing & comfortable ( a little cooler is better. As Melville says, the best sleep is when just the tip of your nose is cold)

If you’d like to learn more about using CBD & cannabis for your health, book a session with me today…