What Are The Best Weed Products For Sleep?

Lorena Cupcake, voted “Chicago’s Best Budtender” in 2019, has answered hundreds of questions from cannabis buyers and patients during her time as a budtender. And now they’re turning that experience into a monthly advisory column, Ask a Budtender. Have a question for cupcake? Send your questions to askabudtender@weedmaps.com.

Dear cupcake,

For years I’ve struggled to fall asleep when needed. I spend too many nights scrolling my phone wide awake in bed. I’ve smoked weed before, but I’ve never used it specifically for sleeping.

What bedtime products should I look out for? Are products with CBN worthwhile – and does it even work?

– bedtime

Dear SleepyTime,

The solutions to insomnia vary depending on the person. I know some people who only need a few hits on an indica pen by the bed to get a good night’s sleep. Others dealing with chronic pain and insomnia may need large doses of highly concentrated cannabis oil to sleep through the morning.

Depending on the challenges you face and how your body reacts to different herbal medicines, you may need to experiment with a few different products and dosages to find something that will help you fall asleep quickly, soundly asleep, and wake up groggy with no after-effects.

As you browse through the products available in your local market, you may come across different formulations, each claiming to promote sound sleep. It is important to have a basic understanding of how each ingredient interacts with the body so that you can make an informed decision about your specific needs.

Gina Coleman / Weedmaps

Sleep and the Entourage Effect

Signaling in the endocannabinoid system plays a huge role in the circadian rhythm of sleeping and waking, and there is a deep and complex relationship between cannabis and sleep that doctors are still researching. However, current literature suggests that THC reduces sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep after you hit the sheets. That should help you put the phone down and stick to a healthier schedule, SleepyTime.

The recent, well-controlled sleep study found residual effects on measures such as memory when participants woke up ten hours after taking THC in the morning. Anyone who’s ever woken up disoriented after a strong edible can probably relate to this. However, swapping an equal dose of CBD and THC – commonly known as a 1: 1 ratio – seemed to prevent these effects the next morning. “In this regard,” the researchers concluded, “the simultaneous administration of THC and CBD has benefits that go beyond the therapeutic benefits that both drugs can provide individually.”

In cannabis pharmacology, this concept is known as the entourage effect, a term coined by neurologist Dr. Ethan Russo, MD in his groundbreaking 2011 study of the effectiveness of THC and other cannabinoids and terpenes. I spoke to Russo to learn more about how certain terpenes, as well as cannabinoids like CBD and CBN, modulate the effects of THC on sleep.

“THC can be very effective at inducing sleep, especially when combined with myrcene and linalool,” said Dr. Russo. “CBD is actually stimulatory in low and moderate doses, but this effect is easily overcome by the THC and myrcene content. CBD is helpful because of its anti-anxiety effects. All in all, some of the CBD content is more scientifically proven than CBN as a sleep aid. “

The controversy behind CBN and sleep

While other cannabinoids are biosynthesized by the plant itself, CBN only occurs as a by-product of THC when it is broken down by light, oxygen and heat. Anecdotal experiences with stale flowers causing drowsiness have led the cannabis community to theorize that CBN is a superpowered sleep aid. Based on this popular wisdom, the cannabis industry began extracting CBN from cannabis by adding relatively large doses to edibles or vaporizers for use as a sleep aid.

After Dr. Jamie Corroon had thoroughly reviewed existing research on CBN for an article published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research earlier this year, found that it was out of date and limited in scope. With no tangible evidence, he decided that “people seeking cannabis-derived sleep aids should be skeptical of manufacturers’ claims of sleep-inducing effects.”

To the results of Dr. Corroon told Dr. Russo: “Documentation of the sleep benefits of CBN is mixed at best, and it is clear that higher doses are likely to be necessary to have any significant effect. Combining CBN with THC could lead to better results, but the main thing is to combine an effective ingredient with a less effective one. “

The reason older buds cause drowsiness isn’t because of increased CBN levels. Instead, Russo said that aged cannabis “has lost most of its monoterpenoid content, leaving behind the sedating, more oxygenated, higher molecular weight sesquiterpenoids”.

If CBN doesn’t make you drowsy, what does it do? The answer can’t be much. According to Russo, “many studies with low doses have shown minor psychoactive effects while others have shown mild reactions.”

Other additives in cannabis sleeping pills

While there is a lot of misinformation about the effectiveness of CBN in the cannabis industry, manufacturers seem already to be looking for alternatives to increase the sedative effects of edibles.

Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally released by the pineal gland at night as part of the circadian cycle. You can find melatonin gums and capsules at any grocery store, where it is often bought to help with insomnia or jet lag. A quick search on weedmaps reveals gummy bears, chocolates, capsules, honey, and tinctures that contain both melatonin and cannabis.

Check with your doctor before trying, as melatonin can interfere with immunosuppressive therapy and interfere with popular prescriptions. In addition, experts have warned that inhalation of melatonin through a vaporizer has not been properly studied for safety and even less efficacy.

Midnight, a line of sleep-inducing edibles dating from 1906, contains corydalis as a sedative. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this tuber root is combined with herbs and other plant materials to invigorate the blood and relieve pain. Although there is no peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of Corydalis as a sleep aid, Western doctors and TCM practitioners agree that Corydalis should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding because it can cause uterine contractions.

Search 1906

Gina Coleman / Weedmaps

Which strains support sleep?

When it comes to bloom, SleepyTime, the best advice I can give you is to find strains that will reduce your anxiety, relieve pain, and relax your body. While strains with these benefits are often classified as indicas or hybrids, marketing terms aren’t nearly as important as your unique physiological response.

According to Dr. Russo “More than anything, the sleep benefits of a particular chemovar depend on its THC, myrcene, and linalool contents.” There is extensive research to support the function of linalool and myrcene as sedatives. In response, some breeders have moved to classifying any high myrcene flower as an indica, even if the cross was bred by two sativa-dominant parents.

Once you’ve found a few strains that work for you, keep one on your bedside table if insomnia strikes. A few puffs – or even a drop of tincture – can turn a sleepless night into something dreamy.

Featured image by Gina Coleman / Weedmaps