The night has its power. Quality sleep fills us with fresh energy, rejuvenates tired cells, smooths our wrinkles, sorts our various memories into special compartments, and helps us to take a fresh look at long-standing problems. Quality sleep is, without doubt, one of the most important factors of a healthy body and soul. But what happens when sleep eludes us? Or if sleep comes and goes as frequently as the timetable of London's underground trains?
Good sleep eludes almost half of adults
The majority of adults have experienced problems with sleep at some point in their life. It is estimated that half the general population has encountered insomnia several times, whilst around 10% of adults battle with chronic insomnia. All age groups can be affected by insomnia, and it is somewhat more frequent among women and older people.
The most common causes of insomnia
The reasons for the onset of insomnia vary, often it is a combination of various factors, which can also depend on a person's stage of life. Some of the most frequent causes of insomnia are:
- Insomnia often occurs as a result of psychological causes. The most frequent among them are stress, anxiety, and depression. Due to the connection between them, sleep disturbances are often also an indicator of any of the aforementioned psychological problems.
- Among the most common physiological reasons for insomnia are disorders of the circadian rhythm (biological clock), which regulates the sleep cycle. The hormone melatonin has the greatest influence on the circadian rhythm, whilst other external factors such as light and temperature are also important.
- Insomnia can also occur as a side effect of taking certain medicines.
- Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can influence the cycle and quality of our sleep.
- External factors can also affect our sleep, such as room temperature, a partner snoring, or physical sleep disturbers such as restless leg syndrome.
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The natural approach to alleviating insomnia
Often just some simple changes to our everyday routine can result in faster and more quality sleep. It is important to be aware of our sleep rhythm, ensuring a pleasant room temperature, avoiding certain foods prior to sleep (mainly sugary foods and carbohydrates), taking regular exercise, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol.
Medication for insomnia often has negative side effects
Chronic insomnia which doesn't improve, despite changes to lifestyle and daily routine, usually ends with a visit to the doctor. Most often doctors write a prescription for anti-insomnia medication, which usually has many side effects. Among them are dizziness, a feeling of confusion, addiction, problems with concentration, and a ban on driving or operating heavy machinery.
Cannabis was already being used centuries ago to improve sleep
So how can you set about finding something that will really help in beating insomnia whilst at the same time not having any negative side effects? Let's take a look at history. Cannabis was already being used centuries ago to treat insomnia. In the mid 1960s, scientists identified the first cannabinoid. Today there are more than 80 known individual types of cannabinoid, which work in synergy, naturally and without side effects – even in such a persistent problem as insomnia. CBD, the active ingredient of industrial cannabis, has in recent years become an increasingly popular means of alleviating insomnia.
CBD is proven to reduce anxiety and thus improve sleep
There are numerous reasons why CBD is so effective in the battle against insomnia. Its pain relieving and neuroprotective action is important, whilst its effectiveness in alleviating the symptoms of stress and anxiety are undoubtedly connected with good sleep. The latter are the most frequent reasons for insomnia among adults. In today's world, which requires us to have super powers at almost all times, stress has become our common companion, and its effects are far from innocent. Stress is the culprit for a whole range of medical problems, and is already directly linked with anxiety. The positive effect of CBD cannabinoids on stress and anxiety has been proven by numerous scientific studies and by even more positive feedback from users of CBD resin and drops throughout the world.
