Want to be smarter, happier, and healthier?  The answer is easy:  sleep more!   Sleep is literally a superpower for your mind, body, and immunity. Learn about the science of resting well and what we’ve discovered about the neuroscience of CBD for sleep.

Sleeping is Smart

While we sleep, our brain is forming new neural pathways that help us process information and learn.  Studies show that good rest and good learning go hand in hand.  According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, REM (when we dream most) is when our brains process the information we have learned, especially if it is complex and emotionally charged. REM is also when we process “how to” knowledge. Slow wave sleep is important for consolidating and processing newly learned information. Essentially, when we sleep, our minds process everything we’ve learned through the day - saving what’s important and cleaning out what’s not.

Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, has been shown to be incredibly detrimental.  Those who are sleep deprived have more difficulties making decisions, managing emotions, solving problems, and being resilient to change.  There is also a link between sleep deficiency and depression, risky behavior, and suicide.  

Sleeping is Healing 

While we sleep, our body is repairing our cardiovascular system.  Deep sleep will prompt our body to release HGH, the growth hormone that causes children and teenagers to grow.  It is true what our mothers said - we literally grow in our sleep!  In adults, HGH is important for increasing muscle mass and repairing tissues and cells.  

Studies have found that sleep deficiency can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes.  

In addition, sleep deficiency is linked with obesity. Sleep regulates our appetite hormones.  If we don’t sleep enough, our hunger hormone gherlin increases, while our feeling-full hormone leptin decreases.  The less we sleep, the more we eat! 

Sleeping Boosts our Immunity 

The immune system and sleep are critically linked.  In an interesting study, sleep after receiving vaccines against hepatitis A resulted in a stronger and more enduring increase in antigens Th cells and antibody titres.   

When we sleep, especially in slow wave sleep that happens in the early night, growth hormone and prolactin are released.  We’ve discussed how important the growth hormone is for our cells, tissues, and muscles. Prolactin is responsible for 300 functions in the body, including reproductive, immunity, behavior, and metabolic systems.

During this period, the most important cells in adaptive immunity, the T helper cells, also proliferate.  These cells help active B cells to produce antibodies and macrophages to destroy ingested microbes.  They also activate the cytotoxic T cells that kill infected target cells.    

The endocrine environment that happens in early sleep is likely responsible for helping naive T cells move into our lymph nodes, whose most important job is to fight infections.  All this response results in the formation of long-lasting immunological memories.  This means our bodies will remember how to fight future infections again and again.

How CBD Improves Sleep 

While research continues to explore the mechanisms of CBD for sleep, what we have discovered is very promising.  Studies have found CBD increases the total sleep time, as well as reducing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, according to the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

In a study of insomniacs, those who received 160 daily mg of CBD for sleep enjoyed significantly more shut eye than those on placebo.  In another study of volunteers whose sleep was monitored by an app, CBD significantly improved insomnia.  Interestingly, CBD was shown to have much greater symptom relief of insomnia than THC.  

For those who suffer from insomnia from pain, known as “symptomatic insomnia,” CBD was shown to significantly improve their sleep as well, especially assisted by the reduction of pain, as published in the journal Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management.  

Very importantly, CBD has been shown to not impact the natural sleep cycle of healthy volunteers.  Using polysomnography, researchers discovered that our bodies’ natural sleep cycle remains intact with CBD. This is a great contrast to pharmaceutical sleep agents and antidepressants that disrupt the sleep cycle - and thus our bodies’ natural rhythms of slow wave sleep and REM. 

How does CBD for sleep work? Scientists have discovered that CBD interacts with the brain’s serotonin and GABA receptors.  GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, which helps calm brain activity and induce relaxation.  Its activity in the posterior hypothalamus induces sleep.  Serotonin, of course, improves our mood and reduces anxiety.  Effectively, CBD helps our brains and bodies relax to prepare for a deep rest.  

Linalool, a terpene that naturally occurs in certain cannabis strains and lavender, has also been shown to impact GABA receptors.  German neuroscientists conducted electrophysiology experiments and discovered that 2 mm of linalool increased GABA currents by 50%!  

In addition, linalool increases our brain’s release of adenosine, an important hormone that helps us fall asleep. It also helps us fall back asleep. Interestingly, the way caffeine works is by blocking adenosine’s receptors. That’s why we grab that cup of coffee in the morning. We are effectively blocking the adenosine with us in dreamland.

We combined strains of relaxing CBD enhanced with linalool in our Rest line of CBD for sleep.  We finished this CBD for sleep powerhouse with relaxing essential oils and melatonin - the hormone that our bodies produce when it’s dark and time to depart to dreamland.  Tuck in with our Rest collection of CBD vape pens and mints. Rest well!