Can CBD Help You Sleep?
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been touted as a treatment for pain, depression, and epilepsy—and even anxious pets. More than 40 percent of CBD users say they’ve tried it to help them sleep. Yet evidence of its effectiveness as a sleep aid is limited. A review paper in
Current Psychiatry
points to studies showing Reports
that CBD can be effective for sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, PTSD nightmares, and sleep issues in people with chronic pain. But people who believe that CBD helped them with more generalized sleep problems might be reacting instead to its antianxiety properties, says Martin A. Lee, cofounder and director of Project CBD, a California nonprofit that promotes CBD research. Another study, published in
Current Neuropharmacology, found that low-dose (15 mg) CBD may actually keep some people awake, and Lee emphasizes that CBD does not work like a sleeping pill. “If you take [CBD] before you go to sleep, you’re liable to be up all night,” he says. Even if continuing research proves CBD effective for sleep in some people, check with your doctor, especially if you take medications such as blood thinners. CBD tends to be well tolerated, but it can have side effects.