Is Daylight Savings Time throwing off your sleep cycle? Here's how you can use cannabis to reset and get better sleep
They say it takes just one day to adjust to one hour of time change, but our bodies aren’t convinced yet… So what can we do? Turns out, cannabis may be able to help.
You may have heard the term circadian rhythm before; it’s part of our biological clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle, and it’s triggered by the presence and absence of light. When our brain sees that it’s dark outside, it sends a signal to our body to start producing melatonin — a hormone that lowers our body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate to prepare us for sleep. And when we’re exposed to light, our bodies reverse this process and start producing hormones like cortisol to help wake us up.
Daylight Savings Time and even traveling to another timezone can impact our circadian rhythm. Here’s how you can use cannabis to help your body reset its sleep cycle:
If you’re having a hard time falling asleep, try a heaping dose of CBD.
When taken at night, CBD can interact with your endocrine system to increase levels of melatonin to help you fall and stay asleep (Eminent Consulting). But beware: some studies have shown that low doses of CBD can actually be stimulating and delay sleep. A “small” and “large” dose of CBD looks different for everyone, so it may take some experimenting to find a dose that works for you.
We’ve found that taking CBD-rich edibles and capsules 1-2 hours before bedtime is best for a good night’s sleep. This gives the cannabinoids enough time to be processed by the digestive system and take effect, and those effects last 6-8 hours through the whole night.
CBD not cutting it? THC could help too, especially when paired with terpenes like linalool and myrcene that have sedating properties. When THC binds to receptors in our brain, it increases levels of adenosine to suppress the brain’s alertness and relax us (Sleep Foundation). You can also try a product with the cannabinoid CBN, which is best known as the “sleepy” cannabinoid. Talk with your budtender for specific product recommendations.
If it’s feeling impossible to wake up, or you’re feeling groggy during the day, try a balanced (AKA Type II) chemovar with energizing terpenes.
“Waking and baking” can be a gamble: it’s theorized that consuming THC first thing in the morning has the potential to get you higher than intended since it’s not competing with any other nutrients. That said, THC can take the edge off a moody morning — so how can we use it most effectively?
As we explained above, THC can suppress our alertness, which we don’t want in the morning. And while CBD interacts with our endocrine system to increase melatonin at night, it actually has the opposite effect in the morning, perhaps by activating neurons in our hypothalamus (Science Direct). To get the most energy out of your medicine, try a chemovar with a balanced ratio of CBD:THC that is also rich in energizing terpenes like limonene, which is known for its uplifting effects, or pinene, which has focusing effects and can help reduce brain fog sometimes associated with THC use. If you’re not sure which terpenes your body likes, download our free guidebook and printable journal pages to start taking notes on your experience.
Remember, your endocannabinoid system's job is to promote balance in your body — and that includes helping rebalance your sleep-wake cycle.
If you find yourself needing an extra dose of cannabis this week, know you're not alone, and we're here to support you: our knowledgeable budtenders are always happy to chat with you to find the perfect product for your specific needs.
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