We’re not saying that the 999th sheep through the gate isn’t a great guy, but there’s only so much tossing and turning any person can take before they’re ready to shut down the entire farm.
Here’s what you need to understand about insomnia and how the right hemp flower might be able to help you get a better night’s sleep.
What is insomnia?
Globally, around a third of adults experience the symptoms of insomnia, and 1 in 10 are considered to be suffering from insomnia disorder.
Insomnia is a relatively broad term. It covers a wide range of scenarios and causes, and generally refers to acute or chronic issues with falling asleep. Many of us will experience the odd night of insomnia here or there, whether as a result of stress, too much caffeine, or just not being able to get comfortable in bed.
For some people, however, insomnia is a familiar foe. While they may be tired and ready for sleep, they simply can’t drift off – no matter how long they lie there, eyes closed, ready to power down.
Bouts of insomnia can come and go throughout our lives and last for weeks or months at a time.
Some insomniacs may find that initially getting off to sleep is relatively easy but that they find themselves waking up throughout the night. The sleep cycle – so important for our health, wellbeing, and happiness – can’t be completed properly, and we miss out on that all-important REM sleep when our bodies relax, and we begin to dream deeply.
Insomnia is many different things at once, but the one element all who experience it can agree on is how debilitating even a single night of poor sleep can be. When we’re ready for sleep but something in us just won’t let it happen, that cycle of frustration and restlessness is only made worse.
What are the effects of insomnia on the mind and body?
We all need sleep – that much, we can agree on. In fact, almost every living creature needs to balance waking hours with resting hours, although some need much more than others.
When we don’t get enough sleep, the short-term effects include drowsiness in the daytime, headaches, changes in appetite, mood swings, issues with concentration and memory, and even hallucinations. Some people cope better with less sleep than others. It comes down to age, activity levels, and good old genetics.
The longer-term effects of insomnia include all of the symptoms listed above, along with:
- Higher blood pressure
- Low sex drive and more fertility issues
- Stress
- Mood disorders
- Issues with weight gain/loss
- An increased risk of heart attack and stroke
There’s still a lot of research to be done into sleep and why we need so much of it. Sleep enables the brain to sort through memories and experiences, clear out toxins and rebalance hormones. Sleep is vital not just for our states of mind and quality of life, but on a cellular level, too.
How to prevent insomnia
There are lots of steps you can take to promote a better night’s sleep – and an easier time drifting off in the first place.
For starters, a good and restful bedtime routine is essential.
- Distance yourself from screens. They emit blue light that tricks the body’s circadian rhythm (which controls how tired you feel) into thinking it’s still daytime. This can prevent the hormone melatonin, which puts you in a sleepier mindset, from being released at the right time, and make it a lot harder for you to get some shut-eye.
- Give your body plenty of time to digest your evening meal before you go to bed. A full stomach may make you feel sleepy, but it’s best to leave a few hours between dinner and bedtime.
- Avoid jet lag by booking flights during the day, and talking to your doctor about sleep aids that help to mimic the body’s natural release of melatonin when it’s time to sleep.
- Practice meditation or journaling. This can get stressful or stimulating thoughts out of your head before it hits the pillow.
- Make sure your bedroom is very dark and comfortably cool. Heat and light are the enemies of good sleep.
- Calm your body, and thoughts with sleep hacks, like soothing breathing exercises and special music playlists.
It’s important to remember that, for some people, even the best bedtime routine and the most comfortable bed won’t help if sleep is consistently proving elusive. There are plenty of treatments out there for insomniacs – some natural, some less so – and one that has been gaining a lot of mainstream interest over the past few years is CBD.
CBD and Insomnia
Recently, a lot of new research has shed light on a long list of conditions, illnesses, and issues CBD may be capable of helping. While it may sound too good to be true, there’s actually some sound reasoning behind this A-Z list of applications: the unique way that CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which operates a lot like the central nervous system.
Your endocannabinoid system influences many different parts of your mind and body, from inflammation and pain responses to mood, stress and, you guessed it, sleep. There’s still work to be done before we really understand the extent to which CBD can help insomniacs and, right now, the research is relatively limited.
Nevertheless, a lot of CBD users report a relaxing effect from CBD. Extracted from the hemp flower, CBD is not psychoactive like THC is, which means it won’t get you high and the all-round effect is a lot subtler than what people associate with cannabis.
It’s worth keeping in mind that different types of hemp flower are better for sleep than others, as some are more stimulating, and others promote more of a peaceful feeling. You can read our full guide to the best CBD flowers for sleep if you’re interested in trying it out for yourself.
Some people may choose to take an edible an hour or so before bed, or drop a small amount of CBD oil into a relaxing, night-time tea like chamomile or lavender. Others might prefer the routine of smoking their hemp flower – or, if that’s not your style, vaping with one of our vape carts.
It’s all about finding what works for you. Start off at a low dosage and see how that makes you feel before gradually increasing to a level that works for you – just make sure you speak with your GP if you’re already taking any prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids!
