If you do notknow, Cannabidiol (CBD) is skyrocketing in popularity right now. The main reason why CBD is exciting the masses is because of its proven potential in managing an endless list of symptoms like pain, acne, eczema, and perhaps, drawing you into a good night’s sleep.
According to medical experts, CBD is generally safe for everyone, with negligible to no side effects. However, despite all these fantastic benefits, some users worry whether CBD can make you sleepy or drowsy, especially when taken during the day.
If CBD does induce sleepiness in people dealing with insomnia, that would be considered one of its significant benefits. However, the same benefit can be conflicting when you want to take CBD edibles during the day to combat pain and enhance your productivity.
This article will answer the question if CBD oil makes you sleepy and will provide with the best tips to mitigate potential CBD sleepiness.
To help you understand how CBD delivers its effects, what effects it delivers and what effects it does not deliver, it is essential that you first understand CBDs interaction with the brain.
CBD and Your Brain
CBD is a Phytocannabinoid that can be extracted from either hemp or marijuana plants. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant family- Cannabis sativa L. However, while marijuana contains high THC levels, hemp contains CBD in abundance and only has trace amounts of THC (less than 0.3%).
The amount of THC in hemp plants is not strong enough to make you high. Comparably, CBD oilsourced from marijuana plants is highly likely to contain THC amounts that can deliver psychoactive effects. Therefore, the affects you experience from hemp-extracted CBD oil may differ greatly from the effects delivered by marijuana-based CBD.
This is a vital distinction because studies show that high doses of THC induce sleepiness and enhance your sleep quality. THC achieves these effects by replacing our endocannabinoids and binding directly to the CB2 and CB1 receptors to promote sleep and restore your natural sleep cycle.
Comparably, CBD does not bind with the receptors the same way THC does. Instead, researchers believe that CBD works by influencing the endocannabinoids and directly activating the receptors, allowing them to have a more potent effect on your body.
Can CBD make you tired? The interaction between CBD and the receptors should not make you drowsy, sleepy, or tired. Instead, CBD works to enhance our brain’s capacity to regulate mood, pain response, stress, and anxiousness. This results in a calmer mind and a good mood.
Studies show that stress and alertness can cause a lack of sleep/insomnia. Therefore, by alleviating the underlying cause of sleeplessness, CBD allows you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep much longer.
So, Does CBD Make You Sleepy?
As seen above, CBD extracted from hemp does not induce sleep. Rather, it helps you fall asleep by providing a calmer and relaxed state of mind.
However, marijuana CBD may have high THC levels, enough to induce sleep. So if you are feeling some CBD oil drowsy or tired after consuming during the day, it is highly likely the oil was extracted from marijuana plants.
The best way to avoid or mitigate CBD tiredness and sleepiness during the day is by reading your product labeling carefully and going through its certificate of analysis (COA). You want to confirm its THC amount is less than 0.3% and ensure it was derived from industrial hemp plants.
The Bottom Line
Depending on what is causing your sleeplessness or insomnia, hemp-extracted CBD oil may be an effective sleep aid at night. At the same time, CBD can be used to calm down a racing mind and boost your focus, concentration, and alertness during the day.
Experts advise that beginners start with small doses of CBD and gradually increase the dosage while noting the effects delivered. It is also a good idea to experiment with different CBD delivery methods like tinctures, edibles, and topicals to find what works best for you.