Sweet Dreams are Made of This

By Amy Marie Orozco

If you’re reading this, chances are you have heard of CBN. The trending darling of cannabis marketeers, CBN, known formally as the cannibinoid “cannabinol,” is known for its relaxing effect and promoting better sleep. And for a baggy-eyed swath of the population, CBN, a is the perfect nightcap, so says Maeve (not her real name), a 42-year-old married professional woman with two children under the age of 10.

Maeve had suffered from insomnia for most of her adult life. Until her body clicked with CBN, she referred to a good night’s sleep as her Holy Grail. She tried pharmaceuticals, many of them, to no avail. They didn’t do the job they promised and managed to cause her physical harm. An exhausting regimen of physical exercise didn’t do the trick either. Nor did giving up caffeine, taking up a meditation practice, or undergoing nocturnal polysomnography to confirm she did not have sleep apnea.

An off-hand remark from a colleague introduced her to CBN. Willing to try anything, she stopped at a dispensary on the way home from work. “Good thing the people at the dispensary explained how cannabis works with the body’s receptors, and it’s not a one-and-done miracle cure. Otherwise, I would have been disappointed,” Maeve said. “All the fails of past attempts turned me into a Doubting Thomas.”

New to cannabis as a plant medicine, rather than as a lark with college friends, Maeve took a slow and low approach with raspberry gummies. Gradually increasing her dosage to 15mg CBN at 30 minutes before bedtime, she found her sweet spot. Thanks to earlier efforts in conquering insomnia, Maeve had all the recommended habits for a good night’s sleep, such as a regular bedtime and no digital devices or technology in her bedroom, which she believes fast-tracked her body adapting to CBN.

But does it really work? According to the National Library of Medicine, there is not sufficient clinical evidence to support CBN’s sleep-promoting effects. Research is dated and limited, thanks to the cannabinoid’s past illegal status, however anecdotal evidence has been driving sales and some former insomniacs swear by it.

Expect to experiment with CBN, as you would with any plant medicine, to find the right dosage and ingestion method for you, e.g. oils, tinctures, gummies, soft gels, capsules, flower, and topicals. Don’t expect to get high from CBN, which is created when THC oxidizes. However, there are high ratio THC to CBN products available. Ask your budtender about them if you’d like a more psychoactive effect.

About those Zzzzzz According to the Center for Disease Control, adults need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every 24-hour period. The needs vary by individual and depend on age. Insomnia— temporary or chronic—can result from any number of factors, such as not enough physical exercise, jet lag, stress, or an underlying medical condition. Additionally, the following medications can cause loss of sleep: corticosteroids, statins, alpha-blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants, and a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin, among others.

Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep. That is how the body repairs and rejuvenates itself, keeping us mentally and physically healthy. If a night of deep slumber is your Holy Grail, like Maeve, you owe it to yourself to visit a dispensary for a talk with a budtender. Sweet dreams.