Pain management is something that doctors and scientists are constantly working to improve through research. Because many pharmaceutical pain relievers, such as opioids, come with dire risks, many of us in the medical community try to look for natural options for pain relief. When medical marijuana started to become legal a few years back, some took this as an opportunity to try something new, in the hope that we could find a natural way to relieve pain. Through the course of this work, some of these studies have dialed in on one cannabinoid in particular, CBD.

CBD for Pain | What Is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of a class of chemical compounds called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are derived from the cannabis plant. I mentioned medical marijuana earlier. Marijuana refers to cannabis plants with sizable amounts of THC in them. THC is the cannabinoid that gets you “high.” Cannabis plants with low THC (by law, less than 0.3%) are called hemp. Hemp-derived CBD, such as that used in products sold on CBDfx, is non-psychoactive — meaning it will not get you high.

When consumed, CBD and other cannabinoids interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. This system helps to maintain homeostasis (or, balance) in some of the body’s most crucial systems, including the central and peripheral nervous systems, the immune system, and more. These systems control sleep, mood, memory, motor control, appetite, stress, and other basic functions — including pain sensation.

Endocannabinoids and Pain Management

The body produces its own cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are neural transmitters that attach to receptors in the nervous system (CB1 and CB2). When they do so, the endocannabinoids send signals to the nervous system which help it stay in balance. CBD and other plant-based cannabinoids (or, phytocannabinoids) mimic this effect. While they don’t attach to the receptors, they do signal to them almost identically to maintain the same homeostasis in the body’s various systems. This is why CBD, as the major non-psychoactive cannabinoid, has been such a fascinating compound to study — because its potential is huge for everything from sleep to stress to overall wellness and, yes, pain management.

CBD for Pain | Medical Research on CBD and Pain

It’s important to take a moment to talk about where we’re at, in legal terms, when we talk about using CBD as a pain medication. Until fairly recently, cannabis — all cannabis, not just marijuana — was classified as a controlled substance. And while humans have been using hemp medicinally for, literally, thousands of years, research on the subject was pretty much dead in the water. This began to change with the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the late 1980s. As we’ve learned more and more about the ECS and the way cannabinoids, like CBD, interact with it, that has slowly begun to change. The Farm Bill of 2018, which legalized the cultivation, production and sale of hemp-derived products nationally, definitely helped open the doors to more research.

To this point, though, most of the research on the use of CBD for pain management has been animal research. While this has been quite useful in identifying the potential benefits of CBD as a pain reliever, it has not been enough for the FDA to approve of its medical use. And so, the FDA has very strong regulations on what we can and cannot say about the use of CBD for pain relief. We cannot recommend it for medicinal use at this time, legally. And this will be the case until research on CBD with human subjects is substantial enough for its approval. So, to make clear, this article is focusing on the results of recent research, but should, in no way, be construed as a medical recommendation.

CBD for Pain | Cannabidiol Use for Chronic Pain

A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, titled “A Balanced Approach for Cannabidiol Use for Chronic Pain, reports that “preclinical and clinical studies have indicated a potential benefit of CBD use in chronic pain associated with multiple conditions.” The report goes on to state that “CBD presents an opportunity for the treatment of intractable chronic pain, for which primary treatments are insufficient or not possible.”

While this is promising, the report also warns about some of the harmful contaminants found in many substandard CBD products, including solvents and harsh chemicals used in the plant cultivation process. It should be noted that this study is a review of current CBD research and findings in animal and human models and not an individual study itself.

I second this notion. It’s important to make sure you use CBD products that are organic and provide a third-party lab report to show the company’s transparency and prove their products’ purity. Not only will the report warn you about pesticides, heavy metals and other harmful chemicals, but it will also tell you about the CBD itself and other cannabinoids present in the product, so that you can see if you’re getting as much per serving as you’re being promised on the label. You’ll also want to make sure your CBD source uses CO2 extraction, which doesn’t leave behind harmful residues, like some chemical solvents do.

CBD for Pain | Pain Relieving Effects of CBD

A 2021 study by Syracuse University, titled “The Effects of Cannabidiol and Analgesic Expectancies on Experimental Pain Reactivity in Healthy Adults: A Balanced Placebo Design Trial,” tested the effects of CBD versus a placebo for pain relief. What they found was interesting.

While CBD didn’t necessarily reduce the volume of pain, it did make it less unpleasant. One of the lead researchers, Martin De Vita, explained it as follows:

“If you think of pain as the noxious noise coming from a radio, the volume can represent the intensity of the pain, while the station can represent the quality. While cannabinoid drugs weren’t reducing the volume of pain, they were ‘changing the channel,’ making it a little less unpleasant. It’s not sunshine-and-rainbows pleasant, but something slightly less bothersome. We replicated [earlier research] in this study and found that CBD and expectancies didn’t significantly reduce the volume of the pain, but they did make it less unpleasant — it didn’t bother [the test subjects] as much.”

You may be thinking, “If CBD doesn’t reduce the volume of pain, why should I even bother?” Did you know that opioids don’t really reduce the volume of pain either? Opioids trigger the release of endorphins, which alter how you perceive the pain and induce feelings of pleasure. CBD, like opioids, appears to make pain less unpleasant without causing the euphoria/feelings of pleasure that can lead to addiction. It should be noted, however, that while these results are promising, a major weakness of this study is its small sample size of only 15 participants. The results do show that more research is definitely warranted into the effects of CBD on chronic pain.

CBD for Pain | The State of CBD as a Pain Reliever

Research continues on the use of cannabidiol for pain relief. We’ve looked at a couple of recent studies and you can see that things look promising. But there is a lot of research still to be done before the FDA will approve it for medicinal use. Until then, no one can legally recommend that you use CBD for any medicinal purposes, including pain relief.

However, if you are searching for a natural alternative to pharmaceutical pain relievers (or if you simply need to try something new), CBD is non-toxic and has very few minor side effects. I encourage you to keep up to date on recent studies and experiment to see if CBD works for you. We’ve seen thousands of anecdotal reports where people swear by it. Whatever you find, we hope that you are able to manage your pain and live a happier, healthier life!

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Today, we’re going to look at a few things that might be affecting your CBD experience and, hopefully, if you’re having issues, we can set you on the right path with your go-to CBD products.

Are You Taking the Wrong CBD Product for Your Needs?

Let’s start with the product itself. CBD products are formulated for a variety of needs, from minor pain relief to gentle soothing to sleep aids to general wellness.** Each product can use a different type of CBD oil, which affects how many other cannabinoids and terpenes are in the oil used in your product. Products can have different amounts of CBD in them. And each product can have a different profile of secondary ingredients that help determine the potential benefits of the product.**

So, if your hope was to, say, take CBD to mellow out and prepare your body for rest, and you take a CBD energy and focus product, guess what?** The product is probably working fine … it’s just not doing what you expected it to do. Understand what your product has been formulated to do. Don’t just assume that there’s a general “CBD experience” and that experience makes you calm and chilled out. Some products do that, but many don’t. So, shop accordingly.

A Note on the Different Types of CBD Oil

Let’s double back real quick and talk about those types of CBD oil. CBD is derived from the buds, leaves and stalks of the cannabis hemp plant. When the hemp plant is pressed, the oil that is produced is called full spectrum CBD oil. This oil contains all of the chemical compounds present in the hemp plant (or at least, the parts that are pressed). This includes cannabinoids (including CBD), terpenes, and flavonoids, among other things. One of the cannabinoids that is present in full spectrum oil is THC, the cannabinoid that people consume to get high. It should be understood that, by law, hemp plants can contain no more than 0.3% THC.

Does CBD Get You High?

Okay, if your expectation was to get high from your CBD product, we should pause right here. Yes, hemp is a form of cannabis. But it’s a form of cannabis that has so little THC in it that you can’t get high from it. The form of cannabis that contains larger amounts of THC is called marijuana. While there are CBD products that are derived from marijuana, these are regulated just like any other marijuana product (and chances are, you’ll have to shop for them at a dispensary). When you buy consumer products with CBD, such as those made by CBDfx, you are purchasing hemp-derived CBD. So, don’t expect CBD products to get you high, because they won’t.

The Entourage Effect

While full spectrum CBD won’t get you high, it does have a rich cannabinoid profile. This brings us to a phenomenon called the Entourage Effect. This refers to the way cannabinoids interact with one another. There are over 100 cannabinoids found in the cannabis hemp plant, and many have unique qualities that others don’t. For instance, CBN has many restful qualities that prepare the body for sleep. For this reason, it’s often called the “ultimate relaxation cannabinoid.” CBD, on the other hand, is more a general wellness cannabinoid that works with the body’s endocannabinoid system as it helps the body’s systems maintain homeostasis, or balance. One might expect these different cannabinoids to each work in parallel with one another — each doing it’s own thing. Instead, the cannabinoids and terpenes bolster each other and actually create a deeper CBD experience. So, if your product uses full spectrum CBD, you should be getting a product wherein your cannabinoids are working harder for you.

Many people aren’t comfortable with any THC in their system (who wants a false-positive drug test?) and so, extra filtering can be done on the full spectrum oil to remove even the tiniest traces of THC. In the process, some — but, by no means, all — other cannabinoids are removed. The remaining oil is called broad spectrum CBD oil. Though broad spectrum doesn’t have quite the same profile as full spectrum, it still creates at least some of the Entourage Effect. Broad spectrum is the most commonly used oil in CBD products, because it gives you the best of both worlds: no THC, while still maintaining some of the Entourage Effect.

CBD isolate is just CBD: 99% pure. With all other chemical compounds removed, CBD isolate allows the CBD to stand on its own. So, if you want to see how CBD feels without any help from its cannabinoid kin, this is your oil. You’ll often see CBD isolate used in things like bath bombs and some vape products.

Hopefully, you now see that buying a CBD product is not a generic, one-size-fits-all endeavor. CBD products can come with different types of CBD oil or have wildly different ingredient profiles that affect the user’s experience. So, have a look at your CBD product — whatever it is — and see if this new understanding helps you to have a better idea of what experience your product can actually deliver.

Understanding Bioavailability: How Long Does CBD Take to Work?

There are many factors that impact how quickly and how much a CBD product can affect you. This rate and amount of absorption into the bloodstream is called bioavailability. And bioavailability depends on a number of factors, but we’ll focus on two of them: the method of consumption and you. Yes, you.

Let’s start with the consumer. Every person, as you well know, is unique. And CBD affects us all differently. Many factors contribute to this, including weight, height, body mass, and tolerance, to name a few. And so, the way CBD affects us can differ from person to person.

The method of consumption is definitely something that impacts how quickly the CBD is absorbed into your bloodstream. Understanding this can help you manage your expectations. If you take a CBD edible, for instance, and expect to feel something in the first few minutes, you’re going to be disappointed. Edibles are among the slowest forms of CBD products to be absorbed into the body, because they have to run through the digestive tract before they are absorbed. Vaping, on the other hand, enters the bloodstream very quickly through the lungs. Sublinguals, such as CBD tincture oils held under the tongue, and CBD topicals, like creams and balms, are somewhere in between.

Here’s a quick breakdown of methods of CBD consumption and their bioavailability:

Percentage Absorbed Time to Take Effect

Vaping: Up to 56% 10–20 min.

Sublingual: Approx. 35% 15–25 min.

Topical: Up to 45% 25–45 min.

Edible: 4–20% 30–120 min.

As you can see, not only do different methods of consumption take different periods of time to take effect, but they also allow a different percentage of your CBD to be absorbed. So, take this into consideration when you are trying a CBD product.

CBD Doesn’t Work: Has Your CBD Product Expired?

CBD products do have expiration dates, and older products have a diminished strength, as is the case with most supplements and medicines. So, make sure to check your CBD product for the expiration date before you take it. If you take expired CBD, it’s not really dangerous. But you’re unlikely to feel any results.

You should also make sure to store your CBD product in a dark, cool place (like a drawer or cupboard). Light and heat can prematurely age and expire your CBD product. CBD oil, in particular, is quite sensitive to light.

If Your CBD Isn’t Working, Check Your Serving Size

We’ve already discussed the fact that every person’s physiology is different, and that we all absorb CBD slightly differently. So, determining your own optimal serving size is crucial. This is easier to do on something like a sleep product, where you literally begin to feel sleepy when it kicks in.** Things like wellness products, like a CBD Oil Wellness Tincture, might be a little more difficult to pin down. But if you’re able to allow yourself an elevated state of awareness, where you can concentrate closely on how your body feels, you should still be able to notice when the serving is finally beginning to work.** But how do you determine the right serving size for you?

If you’re new to CBD, I recommend starting with a fraction of the recommended serving size. If you’re taking a CBD Calming Tincture, for instance, try taking a fourth or a half of the recommended 1mL dropper. See if that works for you. If it does, great! You’re going to be able to stretch out your bottle that much longer, while still getting the benefits you were looking for.** If it doesn’t work, bump up your serving a bit the following day. Don’t do it the same day or during the same session time, because if it does kick in, you won’t know if you’re feeling the initial serving finally being absorbed into your bloodstream or the second one. This is especially important when using gummies/edibles, as their effects can take a few hours to be felt. Not only will you be unable to determine your effective serving size, but you might even inadvertently build up an unnecessary tolerance. Inch your serving size up every day until you finally find the effective serving size for you. Some users may have to use a higher amount than most (100mg or more) in order to achieve the desired effect. Everyone is different. Start low and go slow until the desired effect is reached.

You’re Using a Substandard CBD Product

The final thing you should take into consideration, when determining if or why your CBD product isn’t working, is the quality of your product. When CBD sales finally became legal a few years ago, new companies came out of the woodwork, with everyone trying to get a piece of the pie. And while some of these companies did things the right way, making quality products with pure, organic CBD, many did not. These companies sell substandard products that not only don’t deliver in terms of quality, but also can have harmful chemicals in them, like pesticides and residual solvents from cheap extraction processes. Improperly prepared products could also contain bacterial contaminants and heavy metals which could make you sick.

When you’re shopping for a quality CBD product, always look for a third-party lab report so that you know exactly what you’re getting — including the promised amount of CBD, as well as other cannabinoids and active ingredients, and the harmful chemicals that shouldn’t be in there. Every good CBD company provides a third-party lab report. If you don’t see these on a company’s website, then steer clear of that company. CBDfx has lab reports posted clearly for every product they sell. These can be accessed by the link on the bottom of the page or via the QR code stamped on every product they sell.

A Final Note on Why Your CBD Isn’t Working

We’ve talked about a number of factors that might go into why you’re not feeling the effects of your CBD product. These include understanding what your product was formulated to do (including the type of CBD oil used and the other ingredients in the product), bioavailability, expired products, improper serving size, and poor quality. If you’re questioning the effectiveness of your product, take a look at each of these potential issues. At the end of the day, I’m confident you’ll find the culprit that’s keeping you from enjoying your product. Once you determine that, you should have a much better CBD experience!

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Today, I’d like to talk about the benefits of a good night’s sleep, as well as some of the things that keep us from sleeping. And then, I’d like to talk about some natural solutions, including the potential of CBD as a sleep aid.

The Benefits of Sleep

While you sleep, your body goes into overdrive, restoring and repairing itself. Vital functions are restored and toxins are removed from the body. Your brain sorts memories and files them away in the proper sections of your mind. Your pituitary gland releases growth hormones to help repair your body. And your cortisol levels drop, giving your body a chance to relax, free of its “fight or flight” response. Basically, your body renews itself so that it can function properly the next day.

The proper amount of sleep varies, depending on age. According to the CDC, adults need at least seven hours of sleep every night. Older adults need even more. Unfortunately, one-third of all Americans don’t get their recommended amount of sleep. That means a third of us aren’t getting all of those benefits that help keep a body running the way it should. Over time, sleep deprivation can become a serious issue. It can affect memory and mood, as well as cause high blood pressure, raise the risk of heart disease, and other serious issues.

What Is Insomnia?

The term insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. This condition can be short term, lasting from a single night to a few weeks. This is called acute insomnia. Chronic insomnia refers to more long-term sleeplessness, typically lasting longer than three months. Some symptoms include fatigue, grouchiness, and lapses in memory or concentration.

If you’ve been losing the battle with insomnia, you don’t necessarily have to go straight to pharmaceutical sleep aids. In fact, you should try to find a natural solution. Many sleeping pills are actually harmful to your health. They’re not always effective and some come with health risks. Before you resort to sleeping pills, you should consider some natural solutions to help you sleep better. When treating insomnia, I always recommend trying to restore your body’s natural sleep cycle prior to taking sleep aids.

Natural Ways to Prevent Insomnia

The first thing you should do, if you’re having sleepless nights, is take stock of your own activity leading up to bedtime. There are several common things that people do which prevent sleep and lead to insomnia. These include too much screen time, caffeine intake, eating a heavy meal late in the evening, and exercising too close to bedtime. Exercise, in general, is great for sleep. But too close to bedtime, it works up your body temperature and endorphin levels, making it difficult to nod off.

You also need to set the right environment for sleep, with a cool, dark, quiet room. Research has shown that the ideal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees. Temperature can affect our circadian rhythm, the pattern our mind and body sets itself to for sleep. By making the room cool and dark, you’re telling your body that it’s time for sleep.

It also helps to calm the mind before bed. This is often easier said than done, but a busy and stressed mind is difficult to settle down for sleep. Many people turn to meditation and visualization exercises to help them to clear the stressful thoughts of the day.

How Can CBD Help With Sleep?

If you do require a sleep aid, I recommend going the natural route. That’s where CBD comes in. CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of a group of chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, that are found in the cannabis plant. Yes, cannabis can refer to marijuana. But I’m talking about the low-THC version of the cannabis plant, called hemp. Hemp-derived CBD products can be quite effective in putting the body in a more restful state, preparing it for sleep.

CBD, like every cannabinoid, has an interesting effect on the body’s endocannabinoid system. This is the system that helps the body’s other systems maintain homeostasis, or balance. This affects a number of crucial functions, including sleep. The body creates its own endocannabinoids, which bind to receptors and send signals to the nervous system to operate as it should. CBD and other cannabinoids signal to these same receptors to do the same.

CBD is often combined with another cannabinoid, called CBN (cannabinol), which is especially effective in making the body restful. For this reason, CBN is referred to as the “ultimate relaxation cannabinoid.” Products, such as a CBD + CBN Night Capsules, make use of both of these cannabinoids and the Entourage Effect, which is the phenomenon wherein multiple cannabinoids used together boost each other’s effectiveness. Together, CBD and CBN can help the body enter a relaxed state, making it easier to fall asleep and sleep soundly through the night.

CBD is also sometimes combined with melatonin, as in CBD Gummies with Melatonin for Sleep. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, and is tied to the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Taken together with CBD and other restful ingredients, such as sleep terpenes, magnesium, chamomile and lemon balm, it is an effective and natural sleep aid.

There are products that contain CBD, CBN, and melatonin, including CBDfx’s CBD Oil Sleep Tincture. This tincture is one of the most effective natural sleep aids I’ve seen. The cannabinoids complement the melatonin in such a way that you really do feel deeply sleepy and can get through the night without waking up again and again. I think a big advantage of this oil, aside from being organic and all natural, is that you don’t wake up with that groggy hangover feeling you get from some sleep aids. It’s just a healthy, natural way to get your full night of rest.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which your breathing stops and starts repeatedly while you sleep. Because it essentially cuts the flow of oxygen, sleep apnea can have serious detrimental effects on the body.

I can’t recommend CBD for a condition like sleep apnea, legally. The CDC has very strict rules on what you can and can’t say about chemicals and products that have not been approved for medicinal use. I can tell you that people have tried CBD for sleep apnea and there have been some positive reports on its usage for this purpose. The theory behind using CBD for sleep apnea is that it relaxes the body while you sleep, which in turn allows your airway to relax and your breathing to improve. Before you attempt to use CBD for sleep apnea, I highly recommend speaking to your physician first. I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT attempt to treat sleep apnea without consulting your doctor. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition and if you think you may have it, make an appointment right away!

A Few Final Words on the Benefits of Using CBD for Sleep

One of the most important things we can do for our bodies is to give them proper rest on a daily basis. There are several things that can get in the way of a good night’s sleep: some of our own making and some that are out of our control. If you suffer from insomnia, it’s important to find a solution — preferably a natural one. I’ve mentioned some tips to try to help you get into a more restful state of mind before bed. And if you need a sleep aid to help you fall asleep (and sleep soundly), I recommend trying a natural supplement before you resort to trying sleeping pills. CBD is a great tool that can help you fight insomnia safely and effectively. I hope it can help you on your journey to better health.

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