I'll be the first to admit it: when CBD products hit the market [1], I was more than sceptical. I had a bad experience with prescription medication in college, and ever since, I haven't been too keen on putting so much as a Tylenol into my body unless it was absolutely necessary. But after finally dipping my pinkie toe into the CBD pond with a low-dose tincture (around 300 mg for the bottle), I've never looked back. Although CBD products [2] can affect people differently, they're widely lauded for their ability to decrease anxiety [3] and relieve minor aches and pains [4]. Another huge benefit of CBD? It can help you fall asleep.
As a person who loves to snooze more than the average bear, I decided to put CBD oil to the test for seven days using one of my favourite products — CBDistillery's 1000 mg 30 ml Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture [5] ($60) — to see if it can help me catch more zzz's than normal. FYI: the brand also has really amazing CBDistillery Night Time CBD Gummies [6] ($60) if you're more into the edible products.
For the sake of making my results accurate, I stuck with my normal work routine and opted not to consume any alcohol for the week. Keep reading to see what I found.
It's Not a Magic Cure-All for Sleep Issues, but It Will Help You Fall Asleep Faster
I tend to go to bed fairly early for someone in my age group [8], usually between 10 and 11 p.m. So the first night I tried two droppers worth of CBDistillery's 1000 mg 30 ml Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture, which was admittedly a higher dose than I was used to, I pretty much conked the f*ck out immediately. But before doing so, I felt a tiny bit loopy and a heck more relaxed. The stress melted away immediately.
With that being said, when you take CBD you need to be ready to sleep [9]. That means no scrolling on your phone or doing cartwheels around your living space. Either read or put the TV on low once you take it.
I Stopped Having Stress Dreams From Night 1
Like most other people who grapple with anxiety on a daily basis [10], I often wake up in the middle of the night from a stress dream. Add planning a wedding into the mix, and I was up almost every night wondering about things I could do nothing about at 2 a.m: did I spell Mike's girlfriend's last name right on the save-the-date? Will my centrepieces really cost $3,000? Do I spring for a raw bar during the cocktail hour? Absolutely yes, but you get the picture.
Once I started taking CBD to fall asleep a lot of those worries melted away until the next day. I still needed to answer these questions, but they didn't wake me out of a dead sleep for once. And obviously, there's a trickle-down effect. Once I was getting more sleep, I was more equipped to deal with everything when I was actually awake without stressing myself out or ripping someone's head off. I was more organised and calm, and trust me, I really needed that.