As a fellow human being, you’ll be aware sleep is a hugely important component of our lives. Given that an average ‘Joe’ or ‘Josephine’ sleeps for 8 hours a day, it means that on average a person will sleep for 229,961 hours in their lifetime. Believe it or not, a whole third of our ‘Life’s Pie’ is being eaten up by our sweet dreams! But that is if you’re lucky, not all of us find it easy to avoid tossing and turning on a night. Various studies worldwide have shown the prevalence of insomnia in 10%–30% of the population, some even as high as 50%–60%. With that being said, I do hope this blog doesn’t benefit you in the sleep department… That is unless you happen to have a CBD Candle burning as you’re reading this, in which case I’ll ‘lit’ you off.
If you’re not getting enough high-quality sleep there can be repercussions down the line. Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function including; cognition, concentration, productivity and performance. All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation, so it’s imperative the issue isn’t slept on.
A study on medical interns provides a good example. Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep (PubMed, 2004). That isn’t the odd mistake, 36% is a fairly considerable figure; I do hope professionals aren’t getting their calluses and phalluses confused…
Sleep deprivation can also have profound consequences on your physical health, 1 in 3 of us suffer from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often found to be the culprits. The cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus. Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes – what a nightmare.
It's clear that a solid night's sleep is essential for a long and healthy life. Good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults. Thankfully for me this blog doesn’t require oodles of scientific information, it’s not rocket science. Sleep is imperative and you need it. But if you’re not getting it and it’s of poor quality, why not give CBD a go?
Cortisol is a stress hormone that typically peaks in the morning, but sufferers of insomnia and anxiety may potentially be dealing with high cortisol levels at night. Independent of insomnia, having high cortisol levels at night is associated with an increased number of night-time awakenings; the premise is straightforward, higher cortisol levels at night, the worse you sleep. With all the current goings on the world downtime and allowing your body time to recharge is more important than ever. How can you fight those post-lockdown emotions or remain patient when traffic blocks your commute to work, especially when you're tired?
In one study on the effects of CBD, researchers found that cortisol levels decreased more significantly when participants took 300 or 600 mg of CBD oil. Immediately, these results suggest that CBD affects the release of cortisol, possibly acting as a sedative (Scott Shannon & Heather Lee, 2019). So, if CBD can inhibit the release of Cortisol, we can assume an individual taking it will be less stressed and therefore is more likely to get a better sleep, right? With that being said, these are quite high dosages for us, but very important information nonetheless.
The CBD Candle Co. isn’t in the game of knocking out Giraffe’s - although topical application in the circumstance would be interesting. More importantly for us, as we move down the dosage ladder, a more recent analysis of CBD and sleep recruited 103 participants who suffered with anxiety or poor sleep. The researchers studied the effects of CBD combined with those of other prescribed medications with CBD dosages that ranged from 25–175 mg. Not only is this dosage more within our current remit, but the researchers found that 25 mg was the most effective dosage for anxiety, of which when reduced could potentially contribute to a better sleep.
Furthermore, during the 3-month study, the investigators followed up with the participants monthly. At the first follow-up, 66.7% reported an improvement in sleep, a figure definitely not to be sniffed at – unlike our CBD Infused Candles. There are vats of information available regarding the benefits of CBD on sleep but this figure particularly stood out, hence it’s inclusion within this 'awakening' of a blog post.
So, if the prospect of holding weird tasting oil under your tongue for 2-5 minutes doesn’t fill you with enthusiasm, then why not dip your toe into the water of CBD with us? Our wide range of scents will not only help you to drift off, but begin to open your eyes to the benefits of CBD and be the start of your lifestyle revolution. Become one of those 66.7% today; our CBD Infused Scented Candles could be that missing piece to your evening jigsaw!