Better Nutrition February 2020

THE CBD SCOOP *
As the popularity of CBD continues
to skyrocket, sleep is one of the
big reasons why people take
it. How does it work? The
jury is still out on a final
answer, but preliminary
research has unearthed
a few clues.
The Calming Effect of CBD
Our bodies naturally produce
endocannabinoids, molecules
that have a calming effect
on the nervous system and
make us feel good—the
runner’s high, for example.
CBD is a plant source of
phytocannabinoids: molecules
that are so similar to our own
endocannabinoids that our
bodies react in much the
same way.
These cannabinoids,
whether they’re made by
our bodies or obtained from
CBD supplements, seem to
play a role in regulating sleep.
A study of cells in the central nervous
system found that CBD influences
certain genes that regulate our
circadian rhythms.
Early research published in 1981 tested
different doses of CBD on 15 volunteers
with insomnia. It found that people slept
significantly more after taking a single
160-mg dose of CBD. A few of the volunteers
felt drowsy the next day, but there were
no other side effects, no signs of toxicity,
and no psychotropic effects of a “high.”
The Sleep-Anxiety Connection
Research published much more recently,
in 2019, tested a daily CBD dose of
26 • FEBRUARY 2020
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25 mg in 72 patients at a
mental health clinic in Fort
Collins, Colo. All were suffering
from anxiety and/or insomnia, and
were also receiving other treatments,
including medications in many cases.
The study lasted 3 months, with patients
being tested at the end of each month.
After one month, there were significant
improvements in anxiety in 79 percent
of patients and in sleep among 66
percent, while these conditions worsened
among some of the others. Anxiety
improvements continued during the
remaining 2 months of the study, but
sleep fluctuated. For anxiety, CBD was
taken in the morning, and for sleep,
it was taken after dinner.
Researchers found that CBD was
better tolerated than psychiatric drugs,
and that there was no evidence of
any safety issues.
They concluded
that although there
was significant
improvement in sleep
among some patients,
CBD seemed
to hold more
promise as
a treatment
for anxiety.
CBD and
Sleep in PTSD
and Parkinson’s
One of the manifestations of Parkinson’s
disease may be significant and
disturbing physical movements
during sleep because dreams are
acted out. Called REM sleep
behavior disorder (RBD),
the movements can be intense
and violent. In Brazil, researchers
tested CBD on four Parkinson’s patients
and found that it substantially reduced
the occurrence of RBD.
Other research has found that CBD
reduced nightmares in people suffering
from PTSD. In an 8-week study, initial
doses of 25–100 mg in capsules followed
by daily doses of 1–16 mg in an oral
spray were found to be effective. The
exact doses were based on how individuals
responded to the CBD.
What to Take
Experts typically recommend starting
low and going slow to avoid possible
side effects such as drowsiness the
next morning. In addition, some forms
of CBD take longer to produce an effect,
and if this isn’t considered, you could
take much more than you need before
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