- Sleep is increasingly recognized as essential for overall health and well-being, yet many struggle to attain recommended hours.
- Cannabis drinks are being explored as potential aids for better sleep due to their interaction with brain receptors. They also express the potential to increase sleep-promoting chemicals in the brain and produce a calming effect.
- Understanding the phases of sleep, including REM and NREM stages, is crucial for comprehending how cannabis affects sleep quality.
- The impact of cannabis on sleep quality depends on factors like dosage and product quality, with lower doses potentially aiding in falling asleep and higher doses affecting REM sleep.
- While cannabis may offer potential benefits for sleep, it is important to address other lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and sleep environment to ensure optimal sleep quality.
Sleep is fast becoming a major health trend and is something most people aspire to optimize. But for some, it is a daily struggle to cope with issues like insomnia, PTSD, and chronic pain.
Getting enough sleep is vital, which makes it frustrating when you can’t reach the recommended hours.
Could cannabis drinks be a shortcut to a better night’s sleep? Let’s investigate!
Importance of Sleep for Health and Well-being
Sleep is crucial for our bodies to function well every day. It helps keep us balanced, alert, and able to think clearly. Without good sleep, our mental and physical health, mood, and memory can suffer. Plus, it can increase the risk of health issues like diabetes, strokes, and neurological disorders.
Many popular podcasts discuss the importance of sleep for health and lifestyle, with scientists and experts praising its benefits. Sleep is crucial for our health because it supports our diet and exercise.
No matter how well you eat and exercise, it doesn’t matter if you can’t sleep well. Sorry, parents!
Understanding the Phases of Sleep
Throughout the night, your body goes through a course of typically four to six sleep cycles comprising distinct phases.
Most of us know about the REM (rapid eye movement) phase when we experience muscle relaxation and intense dreams. Certain brainstem structures release chemicals like acetylcholine, glutamate, and neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone, causing this.
Before REM sleep we experience three Non-REM (NREM) phases.
N1 marks the initial phase of sleep onset. It usually lasts for one to seven minutes. The body and brain start to relax, with occasional short movements.
During N2, the body becomes more relaxed with lower temperature, relaxed muscles, and slower breathing and heart rate. Brain activity slows, brain waves adopt a distinct pattern, and eye movement ceases. This stage lasts 10 to 25 minutes initially and may lengthen as your sleep cycles progress through the night.
N3, or deep sleep is when muscle tone, pulse, and breathing rate decrease further, leading to deep relaxation. During deep sleep, the brain shows distinct delta waves, earning it the nickname “delta sleep” or “slow-wave sleep” (SWS). This stage is vital for bodily recovery, growth, and immune function.
Deep sleep is most prominent in the first half of the night, with N3 stages lasting 20 to 40 minutes initially. However, these stages become shorter as the night progresses, and people spend more time in REM sleep instead.
The Impact of Cannabis on Sleep Quality
Cannabinoids help you sleep by interacting with receptors in your brain. This interaction increases sleep chemicals and calms the parts of your brain that keep you awake. This combo is why most people feel relaxed or sleepy when they use cannabis, particularly cannabis indica.
CBD and THC may help with sleep issues like sleep apnea, nightmares from PTSD, and chronic pain. They show promise in improving long-term sleep problems for those affected. CBD may also help with problems like acting out dreams during sleep.
It seems that the effectiveness of THC and CBD for sleep depends on the product’s quality and dosage. But unlike alcohol, you can consume a THC drink at night and still feel ready for the gym in the morning.
Determining the Correct Dosage for Cannabis Water
If we’re going to take a proper look at this, it’s time to get the research involved. A 2022 study found that cannabis can help people with insomnia or sleep problems sleep better, depending on the amount used. Because it acts on CB1 receptors, THC can yield “a biphasic effect on sleep”.
In other words, lower doses can help you fall asleep more easily. At higher doses, it can demonstrate a reduction in total rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This phase is important for good quality sleep because it influences brain development, memory consolidation, emotional processing, and dreaming.
CBD can increase alertness in small doses. In larger doses, it can promote longer sleep and reduce nighttime awakenings.
The problem is that there is no definition of a low or high dose since everyone’s tolerance varies. You need to test different concentrations and find the correct dosage for you. The advantage of cannabis water is that you can take it one sip at a time and see how you feel.
How to Guarantee a Good Night’s Sleep
While the scientific evidence does suggest that cannabis has the potential to improve your sleep, it is dose-dependent. Remember, trying DELTA cannabis water for sleep issues may help, but it’s not a cure.
There are several other aspects of your life that you can address to improve your sleep. To stay healthy, eat well, exercise, limit caffeine, avoid screens before bed, and create a good sleep environment.
Drinking Blood Orange Cannabis Water and relaxing with a book or music is a great way to unwind after a long day. Our mix of cannabis and CBD in a 2:1 ratio gives a potent yet calming high for relaxation with 20mg of Indica and 10mg of CBD.
For the less experienced, our Delta Light Cannabis Seltzer is a great place to start. It only contains 5mg of THC and 1mg of CBD for more of a background high to help calm the mind and body.
We test all our drinks in labs to make sure they are of the highest quality. We use only natural ingredients, so you don’t need to worry about negative side effects like sleep medications. If you are curious about whether cannabis water is right for you, contact us today.
