Will CBD make me tired?

Does CBD make you sleepy? Can you take it during the day without feeling tired? How much can you take during the day? How much should you take at night? These are all frequently asked questions by our community that we’re excited to tackle in this article.

In the US, sleep disturbances and deprivation is a top epidemic amongst adults. Many studies over the years have revealed a good night’s sleep is essential to overall health and well-being. Experts recommend adults should get between 7-10 hours of sleep every night. Due to this epidemic, many people turn to CBD as natural aid in helping them fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

While CBD products bring great relief for sleep disorders and disturbances, cannabidiol or CBD, accomplishes many other positive effects for users, other than a good night’s sleep. Especially if other plant compounds are infused with the hemp oil to produce incredible benefits like stress and anxiety relief, pain management, anti-inflammatory effects and to help fight fatigue.

While some CBD products can offer sedative effects, if blended with other ingredients that produce sleepy-like symptoms, CBD by itself shouldn’t make you want to fall asleep immediately. However, it does make you feel more relaxed due to balancing out your mood, bodily inflammation and pain. CBD products taken in large doses, 60mg or greater, typically do make people sleepy or feel tired because that is what larger doses are intended to do.

CBD products taken during the day in the ~25-50mg range will aid in balancing hormone and serotonin levels, manage acute and chronic pain, and provide relief to feelings of anxiousness and stress you might have during a busy work day or life. CBD taken post workout will also help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, calming you down after bouts of intensity. CBD is also a natural anti-inflammatory, so it’s great to help kick start full body recovery, as well.

CBD products are commonly known to support better sleep, stress relief, pain relief and reduce inflammation. However, it is also known to help with discomforts from a variety of other physical and mental health symptoms without as many potential side effects. These discomforts have included:

• Insomnia
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Excessive daytime sleepiness disorder
• Depression
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Epilepsy
• Chronic pain
• Neuropathy
• Gut health
• Increased focus
• Increased mood
• Certain treatments of schizophrenia

CBD and all other phytocannabinoids– plant cannabinoids in the hemp and marijuana plants– produce effects that positively support a natural, sell-signaling system in the human body known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS helps to keep the body in balance or in homeostasis. Research shows that CBD links with the ECS by interacting with many tiny cells throughout the body known as CB1 and CB2 receptors. These receptors are mostly found in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

CBD supports your existing ECS by interacting with the enzyme (FAAH) that breaks down anandamide. Anandamide is a natural endocannabinoid found in the body that helps with pain relief and anxiety relief. Endocannabinoids (naturally occurring) and phytocannabinoids (plant compounds) are two different types of cannabinoids that both integrate into our ECS to keep it working properly.

When choosing the right CBD product for your specific needs, it’s important to understand the many different applications, including:

• Oils tinctures
• Gummies
• Gel capsules
• Drinks
• Salve
• Bath salts
• Massage oil

Many CBD products are blended in with other plant compounds in order to provide greater benefits such as stress, pain, sleep, energy, etc. We always recommend starting with the specific ailment or discomfort you are trying to naturally solve for, then the application you want to experience the effects of CBD with. Topicals are typically great for pain and inflammation relief and do not enter the bloodstream, so you can typically take them as needed and the effects last 2-3 hours. However, ingestibles do get into the bloodstream and the effects can last up to 4-6 hours. CBD Tincture oils are the most effective way to get CBD into your bloodstream because they are dropped under your tongue, absorbed through the sublingual glands and bypass the stomach and liver. You can feel the effects within 15-20 minutes, lasting up to 4-6 hours.

We recommend to go low and slow with CBD ingestibles, building up your dosage as needed and consult with your doctor if you are taking other medications, prescriptions or have more in depth questions regarding the interactions of CBD with your body or symptoms you are feeling. But have no fear, CBD taken in the appropriate dosage should not make you feel overly tired and can be taken throughout the day to help you stay balanced from head to toe.