Does CBD help with sleep?

The lockdown related to Covid-19 had significant consequences on our psychological state, generating states of anxiety and, in some cases, AGRIPNIA (commonly known as insomnia). Research from the University of Padua led by Professor Cellini indicated that high levels of stress and anxiety resulted in a change in the wake-sleep rhythm and difficulties in keeping track of time; these are some of the effects that the lockdown caused us.

The data was collected in the scientific journal “Journal of Sleep Research” conducted by a team of experts from Padua. The research was led by Nicola Cellini from the Department of General Psychology at the University of Padua, in collaboration with Giovanna Mioni, Natale Canale, and Sebastiano Costa, researchers from the University of Campania, who managed to collect data on sleep quality from a sample of 1300 people.

The age of the research participants ranged from 18 to 35 years, and the period considered was the week of March 17 to 23, or the second week of the complete lockdown in our country.

What the researchers discovered is that due to various factors, including:

reduction of physical activity

low sun exposure

absence of social activities

fears related to contagion

fears related to the economic crisis

;

there was a widespread deterioration in sleep quality.

The study also highlighted changes in mental health; 24.2% of the sample exhibited moderate to extremely severe symptoms of depression, particularly among young people with high levels of anxiety and stress.

Yes, we, the youth, are primarily students who have been affected by insomnia, both due to the stress of remote teaching and passing exams online, and due to the deprivation of our desire for freedom, stemming from the monotony of our lives in recent months and the lack of interpersonal relationships outside our homes.

For the treatment of this disorder, a study was conducted with the creation of a new natural medication with a formulation based on melatonin and cannabidiol (CBD).

But what is insomnia?

Insomnia or agripnia is the disorder that affects sleep quality, with one-third of the global adult population reporting suffering from it; it is associated with an increased risk of developing disorders such as:

depression
anxiety
alcoholism
metabolic syndrome
acute coronary syndrome
hypertension

The treatment of insomnia, we all know, aims to provide benefits from both an individual and social perspective.

In fact, over the past 20 years, several medications have been introduced to the market with varying indications and successes, in order to regularize sleep or improve its quality.

Dependence on these medications due to misuse can very often lead to habituation which, over time, will lead patients to seek more natural treatments with hypnotic and anxiolytic effects, especially without consulting their doctor or pharmacist.

Research conducted by the “Second Opinion Network” in Modena involves administering to a group of patients a product composed of two natural active ingredients included in the same formulation, extracted from melatonin and cannabis, with the aim of evaluating their effectiveness and synergy.

All of this aims to better control neuropsychological symptoms and physical pain.

The components

Cannabis sativa and indica are among the most widespread plant species in the world and contain over 80 cannabinoids, primarily THC and cannabidiol (CBD).

The former has a pronounced psychoactive effect, while the latter modulates chronic pain and other disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system.

The production of CBD oil is obtained by cold pressing hemp seeds containing less than 0.3% THC, with potential anxiolytic effects acting through specific CB1 and 5-HT1A receptors at a dose ranging from 1 mg/kg to 100 mg.

Melatonin, on the other hand, has a strong antioxidant activity that directly affects melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2, promoting the enzymatic activity of antioxidant tissues, thereby inducing the synthesis of glutathione, stabilizing the mitochondrial electron chain to prevent the dispersion of electrical charges.

It plays a key role in synchronizing the rhythms of the wake-sleep cycle.

Many medications that help combat sleep disorders such as jet lag, wake-sleep interruptions, and sleep alterations in children with neurodevelopmental disorders contain melatonin within them.

However, there is no specific indication for melatonin in the treatment of sleep disorders. Indeed, in 2007, a dosage of up to 2 mg was decided in Europe as a short-term treatment for primary insomnia and poor sleep quality only in patients over 55 years old.

Melatonin was also necessary in cases of reduced sleep latency in hypnotics, thereby increasing sleep quality and improving attention the next day.

Summary of the study

“The aim of our study, as Professor Palmieri states, is to analyze the short-term therapeutic effects, safety, and tolerability of the natural origin compound in patients with frequent sleep disorders.”

Some patients, 20 to be exact, aged 37 to 96 years, dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep, spontaneously turned to the Counseling of the “Second Opinion Network” founded by Professor Palmieri, a consulting service for complex or unresolved clinical cases.

The “network” offers appropriate diagnostic options and potentially effective therapies.

In the case of the melatonin-CBD formulation, the inspiring concept was to produce a galenic compound capable of inducing mental distension, relieving pathological pain states, reducing gastroesophageal reflux, and synchronizing the electroencephalographic cortical activity to achieve satisfactory sleep (5 to 7 hours).

Such a preparation contains 1.5 mg of melatonin and 2.5 mg of CBD, and the galenic prescription was ordered by an experienced Swiss pharmacist and provided free of charge.

Some of the 20 adult patients who received treatment experienced physical pain or other somatic symptoms.

However, anxiety levels were monitored from the beginning of the treatment and after three months, during monthly visits; after the three-month treatment based on melatonin and CBD, the sample considered showed an improved symptomatological picture, noting positive therapeutic effects on symptoms, particularly a reduction in mood changes and sleep quality, as shown here in the figure.

“In conclusion, we can say that natural compounds based on CBD and melatonin are capable of competing with classic synthetic hypnotic and sedative medications,” said Professor Palmieri.

This is because the antioxidant activity of melatonin benefits the brain network, thereby restoring the functions of the biological clock, while CBD reduces the perception of chronic pain, increases and helps with neuromuscular relaxation, and alleviates the sensation of anxiety, resulting in a sense of well-being during and after the state of rest, thereby restoring the proper wake-wake cycle.

And you, do you suffer or have you ever suffered from insomnia?

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