Can CBD Replace Counting Sheep? (Part One)
CBD is known for its sleep support — dive into it here!
Losing sleep is something, as Americans, that we all struggle with as an estimated 50 to 70 million adults struggle with sleep disruptions.
Sleep is vital to our health and when we miss it, it affects our whole body. If you think sleep is just a passive part of the human experience, follow along in today’s post and learn that it’s anything but!
So, where does CBD come in? At Elyxir, we know how crucial sleep is, which is why it’s important to know to tackle sleeplessness and review how CBD can lull you into a dreamy slumber. Learn more today!
Why We Need Sleep
As we mentioned earlier, though you may understand sleep as being just another part of what we do, it’s actually much more than that! While we may be asleep, our brains are awake and very active.
While there is all the science behind how we sleep, we’ll make the biology brief!
We have neurotransmitters that control whether we are awake or asleep, namely serotonin and norepinephrine for wakefulness and adenosine that causes drowsiness to help us fall asleep.
A good night’s sleep entails a sleep cycle from stage one to REM sleep.
Stage 1
This is a light sleep where we can drift off quickly and be easily awakened. If you’ve ever woken up by a quick movement — myoclonic jerks — it’s a staple of this stage.
Stage 2
In stage two, our eye movements stop and our brain waves become slower.
Stage 3
Delta waves are the foundation of the third stage in our sleep cycle and this indicates that deep sleep is upon us!
Stage 4
Stage four marks deep sleep and in addition no eye movement, our muscle activity also ceases.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
REM sleep is when we experience rapid and shallow breathing, in addition to movement in our eyes. Our limbs are paralyzed, our blood pressure rises, and our heart rate increases. This is also where the dreaming happens!
So, what happens when we don’t sleep?
Not only does it impact us how we learn, react, and focus, it interferes with our physical and emotional health.
Sleep deficiency can cause weight gain.
Those who sleep less as a result of sleep issues tend to weigh more, and research puts sleep duration as one of the strongest risk factors for obesity. The role sleep plays on weight gain is through hormones and a lack of motivation to make healthy food choices and exercise because you’re too tired.
Sleep issues make you more prone to heart disease and stroke.
Sleep plays a role in the development of chronic diseases. In a review of over 15 sleep studies, it was found that those who slept less than seven to eight hours had a greater risk of developing a stroke or heart disease.
As we’ve uncovered, sleep is not passive, but something we sincerely need!
When your sleep is disrupted, so is your immune health.
Even the smallest amount of sleep disruptions have been correlated to an impaired immune function. Would you believe that even if you sleep less than seven hours you’d be more susceptible to cold and flu? The answer is, yes, even seven hours is not enough! Eight hours per night is the standard, so keep this in mind when the germs are flying!
The Hustle Culture
It’s probably safe to say, we’re all a little sleep deprived — whether we’re raising small children, attending college, or working for the man — sleep is not prioritized. Western culture loves to live by, burning the candle at both ends, and we can’t escape the hustle that everyone is supposed to abide by. Hustle to get ahead. Hustle to make more money. Just hustle harder.
Sleep deprivation is now the criterion we use to measure our worth, and, it’s making us maladjusted and sick individuals.
No wonder sleep is so hard to come by! We’re overworked and constantly trying to prove our worth and compete with everyone else on who has the best hustle — it’s leaving us anxious which bleeds into the quality of sleep we get.
If you’re looking for a natural product that supports sleep, you may find CBD helpful.
For the leading CBD tinctures, topicals, and vape products shop our CBD store today!