How CBD Oil Helped Me Get Better Sleep
Key takeaways:
Deb Hipp tried CBD oil and gummies to help with focus and sleep.
After a brief attempt with no results, Deb learned more about CBD dosage and tried again.
Deb found the right dosage of CBD to help her focus and sleep through the night.
For about a year, I’ve used CBD oil to find relief for my problems with focus and sleep. At first, I was disappointed with the results. But that’s because I didn’t know much about CBD. I have some friends who have used CBD and said it helped with anxiety, focus, and sleep. Yet I also know people who tried CBD and reported no changes in how they felt.
The FDA hasn’t approved over-the-counter CBD for any medicinal purpose. But I still wanted to try CBD oil to see how my body and mind responded.
By now, I’ve learned quite a bit about CBD. I know how to choose a quality product and which forms work best for my health goals. Along the way, however, I’ve also experienced a few trial-and-error attempts at finding a dosage regimen and CBD product that works for me.
From novice to knowledgeable about CBD
A few years ago, a friend told me she took CBD oil to help with anxiety and stress. She said she felt less stressed, especially while working. I had other friends using CBD oil too, so I decided to try this compound derived from the cannabis sativa plant. Unlike THC-rich products derived from the same cannabis plant, CBD doesn’t produce any “high.”
At the time, I knew nothing about CBD or where to find quality products. So I went to a CBD store to ask for recommendations. I left with a 1 oz bottle of CBD oil and a package of CBD 10 mg gummies. I don’t remember the total milliliters of CBD oil in the bottle or how many milliliters were in a dose. But many brands offer CBD oil in a 30 mL bottle and provide a CBD full dropper dose of 1 mL, which could be 30 mg to 60 mg or more, depending on the brand and potency.
The CBD store worker told me to take half a dropper in the morning and see how I felt. Each day, I placed half a dropper of CBD under my tongue and let it absorb for 30 to 90 minutes as instructed. The first day, my mood was happy and mellow. I was sure CBD was responsible for my cheery disposition.
Those results didn’t last more than a day. My good mood that day was likely because it was sunny that day and I had gotten enough sleep the night before. Still, I kept up my daily CBD regimen, increasing to a full-dropper dose. In the afternoon, I’d take a CBD gummy. After a few weeks, the bottle ran dry and I popped my last gummy.
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Was continuing to take CBD worth $60 to $90 a bottle every month or so? I decided it wasn’t. But a couple of years later, I gave CBD another shot.
Expert insights and dosage experimentation
As a professional health writer, I started getting assignments to write about CBD about 2 years ago. Last year I got several assignments to test CBD brands and review them for a health publication. They paid for the CBD products. I tried them and wrote an honest review of the quality, including positive and negative results.
This gave me access to several CBD oils and gummies. Finally, I could take CBD oil long enough to find out if it worked for focus and sleep. And I interviewed cannabis nurses and practitioners for each article, so I gained a wealth of CBD knowledge.
One expert I interviewed said I should have started my initial attempt with a lower dose. Then I could have increased it after a couple of weeks if I didn’t achieve the results I wanted. She also suggested that I take a dose in the morning and another late in the evening for better sleep.
CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, a system of signaling molecules throughout the body. Endocannabinoids regulate metabolism, pain, mood, appetite, and more. Each person’s endocannabinoid system is different, so everyone responds differently to CBD. The dose that works for one person may not work the same for someone else.
I experimented with different doses for a couple of months. Eventually, I found my sweet spot with 25 mg to 30 mg of CBD oil, about half a dropper, in the morning and another 25 mg to 30 mg at night. I was already taking a small-dose (5 mg to 10 mg) THC gummy each night for sleep, which helped a lot. The CBD in combination with the THC helped even more.
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Sometimes I took CBD oil without the THC gummy. It helped me sleep more soundly, but I stilI had some trouble falling asleep. Then I took a 25 mg CBD gummy at night instead of the CBD oil, with equally good sleep results.
When it came to focus, my CBD results were less impressive. The morning CBD oil dose didn’t particularly boost my mood or increase my focus — at least that’s what I thought at the time. When my stream of CBD reviews dried up, I couldn’t afford to buy CBD oil and gummies regularly. So I stopped taking them.
A few weeks later, I noticed just how much CBD had helped with focus after all.
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Why CBD seems to be worth it for better focus and sleep
After I stopped using CBD oil, I noticed my focus wasn’t as good. There wasn’t a huge difference, but it was noticeable. And my sleep quality wasn’t as restful when I didn’t take CBD at night.
So I’ve decided to start a daily regimen of CBD oil and nightly CBD gummies. I purchase gummies that contain both CBD and cannabinol (CBN). CBN is a cannabis compound that may help with getting better sleep. But there’s not enough scientific evidence to prove this claim.
Overall, taking CBD oil and a CBD gummy sharpens my focus and helps me sleep. I’ve found the dosage that works best for me. For people new to CBD, consulting a cannabis nurse or another cannabis practitioner may help them find their dose sooner.
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