In this day and age, stress is not just trending up; it’s boiling over. If you haven’t felt it, your friends, family, and loved ones definitely have. Stiffer necks, tenser jaws, and tighter budgets. In fact, over a third of adults are more stressed this year than last year.[1] But we don’t label it all as “stress;” no, we call it a variety of other names, like tension, worry, fatigue, burn-out, overloaded, budget-conscious, and under-slept, especially under-slept. And, thanks to “hustle culture,” more stress and less sleep is somehow a badge of honor—for now.
While forgoing a few extra hours of sleep may seem productive in the moment, lack of quality sleep is affecting your future wellness, happiness, and, yes, even stress levels. Your sleep tonight impacts your stress tomorrow.
In this article, we’ll dive into the relationship between sleep and stress and show how CBD for sleep can help minimize stress and maximize rest. But first, let’s check out the sleep-stress cycle. Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Well, unfortunately, it can be.
The Sleep-Stress Cycle
Most sleep experts and specialists agree that seven to eight hours of sleep are ideal for most adults.[2] But let’s be real: eight hours of sleep can sometimes feel greedy. You have a lot to do and not enough time to do it. So, you chip away at your sleep; first, you’re in bed a few minutes later than usual, then half an hour, then a full hour, and finally, you find yourself only getting five to six hours of sleep on a good night. You wake up tired, but still able to conquer the day—albeit with a yawn and an extra cup of coffee. So, you press on, happy to have found a nice little workaround for the recommended (unrealistic) eight hours of sleep.
But chances are, these relatively small changes have had a major impact on your stress levels. The American Psychological Association (APA) says that adults who get less than eight hours of sleep report higher stress levels, which go up as their sleep time goes down.[3] As you start noticing more stress creep into your shifty mood, stiff neck, and furrowed brow, you decide to prioritize sleep. Tonight, you’ll go to bed a few hours early, wake up at the same time, and feel better—right? Not quite.
Most adults with heightened stress have an even more difficult time falling and staying asleep, regardless of whether that stress is from a lack of sleep or not. This is the sleep-stress cycle. Lack of sleep impacts your stress, which impacts your sleep, which impacts your stress, and on and on and on.
CBD for Stress & Sleep
So, to tackle this cycle, it’s best to choose a solution that targets both stress and sleep. CBD products for sleep use a multifaceted approach to deepen relaxation and soothe your mind, body, and stressed-out aura. CBD is a naturally occurring cannabinoid that uniquely interacts with a lesser-known system in your body—one that never takes a night off.
The System That Never Sleeps
Your endocannabinoid system is a sprawling network of receptors that tether different systems and organs together in your body. Think of this system as air traffic control. It directs one system one way, gets a call from another, and shifts the course of a third to regulate essential functions, like appetite, mood, energy, and sleep. But when this system is not performing at its best, your overall wellness may feel out of sync.
Cannabinoids, like cannabidiol (CBD), can help.** Cannabinoids uniquely interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system, bolstering the system’s functions and promoting a cascade of wellness benefits.** When you use CBD for stress, you can enjoy these wellness benefits daily, helping you minimize one-half of the sleep-stress cycle.**
Incorporating Multiple Sleep Aids
While CBD alone can certainly help promote relaxing sleep, there are a number of other all-natural ingredients that complement and heighten these benefits.** Take cannabinol (CBN), for instance, a hemp-based cannabinoid that offers ultra-relaxing effects best enjoyed just before bed; or melatonin, a naturally occurring compound your brain releases to promote a feeling of tiredness; or even THC, which (combined with other cannabinoids) can promote a more profound boost of wellness benefits, thanks to a phenomenon called the Entourage Effect.**
In our CBD sleep aids, we combine CBD with a number of other relaxation-heavy compounds to soothe the root of your sleep-stress cycle and help you reclaim deeper, healthier sleep.**
How to Use CBD for Sleep
Before adding best CBD for sleep products into your nightly routine, it’s best to know how to incorporate them. Each sleep product helps relax the mind and body, but how long these effects take to set in varies from product to product.
Here’s a table to break down when to expect effects from different types of CBD sleep aids—and how long they can last.
| Type of CBD product | Effects kick in …* | Effects last …* |
| Edibles | 30 minutes to two hours | Six to eight hours |
| Sublingual tinctures | 15 to 30 minutes | Four to six hours |
* Times can differ depending on the strength of your product and personal bioavailability factors.
CBD Gummies
Our CBD Sleep Gummies with Melatonin combine a number of natural sleep aids to promote stronger nighttime relaxation.** These best of the best CBD gummies use compounds like magnesium, passion flower, chamomile, and lemon balm to quell the mind and soothe the body in a non-psychoactive state of bliss. Depending on your body composition, metabolism, and other bioavailability factors, it can take 30 minutes to two hours to feel the effects of CBD gummies. So, plan to take them a couple of hours before bed.
CBD + THC Gummies
For a stronger “chill” just before bed, we recommend our Lemon Dream THC Gummies. These bite-sized, lemon-flavored gummies combine the effects of THC with melatonin and full spectrum CBD to give you a powerfully relaxing experience. Like CBD gummies, these THC gummies are best enjoyed a few hours before bed.
Relaxation-Heavy Tinctures
Tinctures are a quick, easy way to deepen relaxation and soothe stress levels. Luckily, we make a wide range of CBD oil tinctures for sleep. These all sport sleep-focused formulas that use an array of relaxation compounds to soothe your mind and body.
For instance, our CBD Sleep Tincture balances its CBD content with 5mg of CBN and 5mg of melatonin per serving. Our Sweet Dreams THC Drops use sleep terpenes alongside full spectrum CBD, CBN, and THC to help you destress and unwind. And our Relax Blend CBN Mushroom Tincture takes a different route entirely, bringing three adaptogenic mushrooms along for the ride.
Unlike edibles, tinctures can be taken sublingually (under your tongue). This allows for a quicker onset of effects. So, depending on your personal bioavailability factors, expect to feel these effects in under an hour.
CBD + CBN Night Capsules
Last, we have a simple nightcap: our CBD + CBN Night Capsules. These capsules use a balanced ratio of CBD to CBN with valerian root, GABA, and magnesium for improved mood and better sleep.** Like CBD gummies, capsules absorb through your digestive system, so they can take 30 minutes to two hours to absorb.
Take a Deep Breath (and Then Another)
Stress may seem like a problem that overshadows nearly every square inch of your day-to-day life. But it doesn’t have to. By prioritizing your sleep, overall wellness, and nighttime schedule, you can be better equipped to handle the stressors in your life. CBD products for stress and sleep help you do just that. These solutions come in various formulas and flavors, so you can find the one that works best for you. After all, today’s stress doesn’t have to be tomorrow’s stress. Give yourself a little help tomorrow by prioritizing sleep today. Your future you will be grateful for it.
Bibliography
- Staff, StudyFinds. “American Breaking Point: 41% Say They’re at ‘Peak Stress’ Right Now.” Study Finds, Talker Research, 17 Sept. 2024, studyfinds.org/americans-at-peak-stress-now/?nab=0.
- Worley SL. The Extraordinary Importance of Sleep: The Detrimental Effects of Inadequate Sleep on Health and Public Safety Drive an Explosion of Sleep Research. P T. 2018 Dec;43(12):758-763. PMID: 30559589; PMCID: PMC6281147.
- “Stress and Sleep.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2013, www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.
