Have you been tossing and turning all night? You may have a lot on your mind these days, but sleepless nights will not only leave you feeling tired, but they can also have serious long-term health effects.
If you don’t snooze, you lose
Medical evidence suggests the average adult needs between seven to nine hours of sleep daily. Sleep is vital to our health because it allows our brains to process information and our bodies to heal and regenerate. It also helps to regulate certain hormones that affect our appetite and blood sugar levels.
Research has found that sleep aids our immune system and those who get less than seven hours of sleep each night can be up to three times more likely to develop a cold, and less able to fight off an infection.
But just as sleep helps to keep us healthy, a lack of sleep can have numerous health implications.
Research has shown a direct correlation between your quality of sleep and your overall well-being. A restless night can impact your mental capacity, and this becomes even more pronounced over time. Research by the World Sleep Society has shown that two weeks of only six hours of sleep can equal the same decreased attention as two nights of total sleep deprivation.
But there are also a range of physical effects caused by sleep deficiency.
Sleep deprivation may lead to chronic health issues such as weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and depression, according to research by the Better Sleep Council. Additional research has found that short sleep duration is a risk factor for obesity.
Hitting the snooze button
If you’re lying awake at night, you’re not alone. An estimated two billion people suffer from insomnia and around 75% of adults in the USA sleep less than eight hours a night.
The good news is that there are solutions to sleeplessness and one of the most promising is a natural supplement created from the cannabis plant: CBD oil.
While more research is needed to fully understand the impact of CBD on sleep, CBD is known to work with the body’s endocannabinoid system, explains APEX CBD brand manager Kayla Lawson. This system plays a role in regulating many bodily functions, including sleep.
According to research and anecdotal evidence, CBD has shown promise in assisting with sleep by helping people to fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep for longer. A large-scale survey study reported a drop in the average time it took participants to fall asleep. The participants also noted waking up less throughout the night.
CBD has also shown to help reduce anxiety, which may be interfering with sleep and improving sleep quality among participants with sleep issues. “Always remember that CBD functions at its best in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle. Incorporate it into your daily wellness routine to reap the greatest rewards,” says Lawson.
