Why You Might Want to Use CBD for Sleep — and How to Do Just That

Trouble catching some zzz's? Maybe your sleep hasn't been great lately? Either way, it's time to do something about it.

“Sleep quantity is as important as sleep quality,” says Alex Dimitriu, M.D., double board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine. And while many substances (looking at you, wine) might help you feel sleepy, they can actually reduce your deep and REM sleep — two stages of sleep that are particularly beneficial to your brain and body’s overall wellbeing.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case with CBD. “Some recent research has suggested that CBD may be beneficial to sleep, without negatively impacting sleep architecture [aka what determines the quality and restorative ability of sleep],” according to Dr. Dimitriu.

So should you try using CBD to catch a few more winks? Perhaps. Ahead, experts weigh in on the potential pros of using CBD for sleep, explain the available research, and more.

First, What Is CBD?

By now, you’ve likely heard plenty about CBD, but let’s review what it is so you can understand how it works. Ready? Let’s go.

CBD comes from the cannabis plant (aka hemp or marijuana), which is chock-full of compounds called phytocannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinol (CBN), and — the star of this article — cannabidiol (CBD). While THC is known as the stuff that gets you high, “CBD is generally a non-intoxicating cannabinoid,” says Smita Patel, M.D., a triple board-certified physician in neurology, sleep medicine, and integrative medicine and founder of iNeuro Institute. (