Sleep is absolutely essential to human health and without enough sleep, we experience both short and long term health issues. Per the National Sleep foundation, adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep while children and teenagers need even more.
Yet a 2010 study showed that 30% of adults in the USA reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep per day!
Our modern lifestyles are such that growing numbers of people are getting much less sleep than they actually need to maintain optimal health and physiological function. And with the stresses of the covid-19 pandemic, insomnia is affecting more people than ever.
Recent reports from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) estimate that 85% of Americans don’t get enough sleep. It’s no surprise that 9 million Americans take prescription sleep drugs, and 11 million take CBD or other cannabis products to help with insomnia.
So what can you do if you find you are not getting enough sleep?
There are a number of things you can do to help you fall asleep and get better quality sleep:
• Limiting consumption of caffeine, especially later in the day. While some people can drink an espresso and go straight to sleep, others are much more sensitive. Don’t get me wrong here, I love coffee! But drinking coffee after 2pm is a big no-no for me, as I still feel the effects later in the evening and it most definitely affects my ability to fall asleep.
• Limiting exposure to phone, tv and computer screens in the late evening -blue light from screens is known to stimulate the brain, so experts recommend no screen time 1-2 hours before bedtime. Try reading or some relaxation exercises like meditation.
• Meditation – meditation encompasses a lot of different possible practices including breathing exercises, visualizations, walking meditation, concentration exercises, chanting, etc. Each person should find a simple practice that they feel comfortable with, and use it daily.
• Daily exercise – getting some exercise on a daily basis does all kinds of good things for the body and is an effective way to decrease stress, which will lead to better sleep quality.
• Using natural sleep supplements like CBD – we will explore the benefits of CBD in the following section. Along with CBD, there are plenty of supplements that can aid in relaxation like Valerian, Passionflower, Chamomile, Poppy and 5-HTP.
CBD for sleep
First of all, please keep in mind that CBD research is just in its beginning stages, and although CBD is considered safe and is well tolerated, it is not a substitute for any medications that may have been prescribed by a doctor. If you are taking any medications for a serious health condition, please consult your doctor before using CBD.
Sleep is one of the top 3 reasons that people take CBD, the other two being anxiety and pain. Often, pain and anxiety are part of the reason people are not able to sleep, so anxiety, pain and insomnia are all connected in a way. CBD has been shown to help with all three of these conditions. A 2019 study on the effects of CBD on PTSD found that after 8 weeks, 91% of the participants showed an improvement in PTSD symptoms, while 50% reported better quality sleep and 38% reported an improvement in nightmares.
CBD helps to calm the nervous system and is recognized as an effective anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) supplement. For those who are having trouble sleeping due to anxiety and stress, CBD could prove useful.
Chronic pain is another condition that prevents quality sleep. Taking CBD tinctures along with using CBD topically is a great way to reduce pain and improve sleep quality. We have offered CBD topicals to many CBD doubters and they always come back asking for more! One of our customers said he was taking up to 15 Advil per day for knee pain until he started using our CBD topicals and he is now completely off the NSAIDs.
We have found that CBD by itself may be effective for people with mild insomnia, but those with more serious insomnia issues need a little extra help, so we created a sleep formula that is both safe and effective.
Our Z-Time Sleep formula contains synergistic ingredients to enhance the effects of CBD including:
• CBN - a cannabinoid that is gaining recognition as a relaxant and sleep aid.
• Terpenes – terpenes are plant based scent molecules that have therapeutic effects. We have selected terpenes known for their sedative effects to enhance our sleep tincture.
• Valerian Root – a safe botanical that has been used for millenia to improve sleep quality.
• Chamomile – contains an antioxidant known as apigenin, which is thought to be both anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and sleep inducing.
If you are looking for an effective, high quality CBD sleep formula, please visit our SHOP
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