Almost every aspect of a person's health benefits from sleep. It's energizing, revitalizing, and restorative. Sleep is also a requirement, not an option, like most other aspects of one's wellness regimen. Sleep deprivation will catch up with you eventually, whether you realize it or not!
Sleep, despite its importance, is frequently overlooked in favor of flashier products and practices. This article aims to change that. We're going to look at five of the best natural ways to fall (and stay) asleep.
We'll be covering several ingredients known to aid in sleep including: CBD, GABA, Melatonin, Chamomile, and Passionflower. We'll also explore whether cannabinoids affect sleep cycles.
Sleep is Sacred
When you think about it, simply living is a high-maintenance activity. What's more, guess what? Sleep is the most effective way to keep your body in good shape. Many of the vital hormones required for the next day are produced by your body while you sleep.
Sleep also helps your brain stay flexible; when you sleep at night, you give your brain a window of time to refine and reorganize itself. According to new research, sleep also allows the brain to 'detox' from daily stress. (1)
When you sleep is just as important as how you sleep. A growing number of sleep experts believe it is best to sleep through the night, then rise with the sun and be active during the day. Synchronizing your sleep with the sun can help you optimize your brain's internal clock, which is known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus. (2)
Do Cannabinoids Affect Sleep Cycles?
Your body's circadian rhythm — the thing that controls your sleep cycles — is linked to your endocannabinoid system. In theory, anything that influences one system can easily influence the other. It turns out that the endocannabinoid system can help you maintain a more regular circadian rhythm. It may also pave the way for peaceful, pleasant dreams.
(3, 4)
So, how do cannabinoids affect your sleep? They certainly can! Cannabinoids bind to their receptors in the same way that iron binds to magnets, allowing them to influence sleep in a variety of ways. Next, we'll look at how CBD might affect your sleep.
5 Best Natural Supplements for Sleep
CBD isn’t the only natural substance that could help you sleep better, here are some other ingredients worth exploring: (5)
GABA
Melatonin
Chamomile
Passionflower
CBD
CBD may promote sleep and regeneration by activating your endocannabinoid system's CB2 receptors. In recent years, the medical community has finally begun to validate this concept. A groundbreaking 2019 study discovered that CBD may:
Increase your sleep duration.
Reduce cortisol levels
Increased levels of relaxation
At high doses, it is most relaxing.
While many CBD users report that the compound helped them sleep better, there's another important point to remember: poor sleep may reduce the benefits of CBD. In other words, the pathways through which CBD works can flow in either direction. One study discovered that sleep deprivation lowers your body's endocannabinoid levels, implying that those who are sleep deprived require more CBD to achieve the same effects. (6)
CBD should not be used as a band-aid solution to compensate for lost sleep. That strategy is unlikely to succeed, and even if it did, it would be costly. It's important to consider CBD as a supplement to enhance healthy daily choices including exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate hydration.
The tincture Hemplus One offers contains a broad spectrum hemp extract. Each serving contains ~30mg of CBD and 3mg of trace cannabinoids, resulting in a potent entourage effect. When combined with chamomile tea or melatonin, this nighttime formula can generate a potent "GO TO SLEEP" duo, or even trio!
GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that also functions as a neurotransmitter. GABA is referred to by neurologists as the brain's internal "brake." Why? GABA has the ability to slow everything from anxiety and depression to the stress response. (7)
GABA is also known for promoting deeper, more restorative sleep. While low GABA levels can cause insomnia, staying GABA replete means you'll most likely be able to sleep soundly all night.
MELATONIN
One of your body's most vital sleep hormones is melatonin. Your pineal gland controls the timing of your sleep cycles by producing melatonin in the morning and releasing it at night. It can be used to beat jet lag because it has such excellent control over them! It's interesting to note that while CBD might support your endocannabinoid system in the long term in promoting better sleep, melatonin promotes better sleep immediately.
Chamomile
Modern research has only just started to provide evidence for the long-held belief that chamomile is a natural sedative. Apigenin is a unique antioxidant found in chamomile. This substance connects to brain receptors that could lessen anxiety and aid in your complete relaxation before bed. (8) You can combine any of our CBD products with a cup of hot chamomile tea if you really want to go all out.
Passionflower
Passionflower has a long history of enhancing sleep quality, much like chamomile. What the ancients already understood about this particular botanical—that it can quickly end insomnia (9) which was supported by a 2011 study of 40 individuals. According to other research, a combination of passionflower, valerian, and hops may improve sleep quality just as well as Ambien. (10)
References:
Brain may flush out toxins during sleep. (2015, September 17). National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/brain-may-flush-out-toxins-during-sleep
The suprachiasmatic nucleus. (2018). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30086310/
Pava, M. J. (2016, March 31). Endocannabinoid Signaling Regulates Sleep Stability. PlosOne. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152473
The Endocannabinoid System Modulating Levels of Consciousness, Emotions and Likely Dream Contents. (2017). PubMed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28240187
Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. (2019b). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/
Sleep restriction alters plasma endocannabinoids concentrations before but not after exercise in humans. (2016, December 1). ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453016307156
3 Amazing Benefits of GABA. (2019). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201901/3-amazing-benefits-gaba
Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. (2011). PubMed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/
A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality. (2011). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21294203/
Efficacy and safety of a polyherbal sedative-hypnotic formulation NSF-3 in primary insomnia in comparison to zolpidem: A randomized controlled trial. (2013). PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3608291/