Do you suffer from insomnia? You are not alone. It’s estimated that as many as 40% of Americans will experience insomnia at some point in their lives. An estimated 10% of US adults suffer from a chronic insomnia disorder, which means they struggle to fall asleep at least three times a week, for a period longer than three months.

The results of this difficulty sleeping are devastating. Sleep affects many areas of your body and general well-being, from your energy levels to the strength of your immune system. Common side effects of insomnia include fatigue, brain fogs, difficulty focusing, low motivation, low energy, having a hard time remembering things, and an increased rate of errors and accidents. Mood disturbances and variations are also common. All of these elements make life difficult for people suffering from insomnia, affecting their professional and personal lives, as well as their intimate relationships.

Insomnia can be treated using many approaches. If your symptoms are more intermittent, simply exercising more and maintaining a regular sleep schedule might be enough to make them go away. In cases of chronic insomnia, however, stronger treatments are often necessary.

Therapy, specifically cognitive behavioral therapy, is often used as a way to treat insomnia. Working alongside a therapist, you can try to change beliefs and behaviors that may be affecting your sleep. Sleeping pills can also be effective in the treatment of insomnia. However, they have side-effects and can be quite taxing on your body.

Another alternative is to go with something that is healthy, natural, and — in some areas of the world — readily available: marijuana.

What weed does to your sleep

Cannabis isn’t a simple plant by any measure. There are over a hundred different active cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, and the type and proportion of cannabinoids present change depending on the strand. Those will be further affected by how the plant was processed after being harvested, and how you choose to consume it.

However, when it comes to sleep, two substances should be the center of your attention: CBD and THC.

CBD is widely believed to be responsible for the calming sensation you experience after smoking marijuana. It’s a downer and an anxiolytic, capable of reducing the symptoms of stress and anxiety. It’s also known to be an effective anti-seizure medication, and to contain a wide variety of anti-inflammatory properties.

THC, meanwhile, is an upper, and the substance responsible for making you high when you smoke weed. You can blame CBD for the stereotype of the chilled-out stoner. If you smoke a strand of weed that is high on THC and has very little CBD, the effect is a much more energetic and paranoia-prone high. 

Both substances can help you sleep better. CBD, with its calming properties, can help you relax and drift more easily into sleep. It’s great if anxiety is what keeps you awake, a way to stop you from staring at the ceiling worrying as the hours go by.

On the other hand, THC reduces REM sleep. REM is the stage of sleep where your brain produces dreams, meaning that if you suffer from recurring nightmares — as it’s common for people suffering from PTSD — THC can prevent them. This results in PTSD patients getting much more sleep and waking up feeling more rested.

If either of those benefits attract you, try eating an edible or dropping a tincture about an hour before you go to bed. Or you can aim at specific effects by using more targeted products. You can get THC by itself in the form of an isolate, and you can get high doses of CBD by using one of Cibdol’s products.