CBD Vape Pens Vs. Sleeping Pills – Which Will Treat Insomnia Faster?

The use of cannabis for its possible health benefits has increased in past decades, but people are aware of it for a long time.

Its abilities are mentioned in Atharvaveda, one of the oldest and vital Hindu Scriptures, and its ability to induce sleep is mentioned in a Chinese Medical Text of 1200 A.D.

Even today, various researches are conducted to show that cannabis, particularly CBD, can help with insomnia. But you have options.

You can either go for sleeping pills or you can purchase a subscription box for vape to save you some bucks. The confusion here is which one is better and provides the safer treatment. 

To solve this confusion, you will initially know how CBD works on insomnia, its various other aspects, and the working and effects of sleeping pills on sleeping disorders.

After that, you can easily conclude which is better to treat your insomnia, CBD or Sleeping pills.

Is CBD Effective in Insomnia

CBD or cannabidiol is a compound found in the Cannabis Sativa Plant that does not give the feeling of high like other cannabis compounds, such as THC ( known for psychotic effects).

More and more people are liking it owing to its potential health benefits like treating anxiety and pain. 

In the busy life and messed-up schedule of people, sleeping disorders are a trend now.

In a survey organized by Consumer Report, 1267 US adults took part.

Among them, 80% accepted that they feel difficulty falling asleep at least once a week, if not regularly.

And the treatments going on, such as on-the-counter drugs or prescriptions, do not provide efficient help and are risky. 

So, how are CBD vape pens for insomnia different from these drugs? And how does it affect the sleep cycle? You will understand the working of CBD on sleeping disorders through the following study.

In January, the Permanente Journal published a study regarding the health of 72 patients treated with CBD for either poor sleep or anxiety ( which is also a hindrance to good sleep).

The study was published by Kaiser-Permanente health insurance company. 

In it, the colorado researchers, under the guidance of Scott Shannon, M.G. ( he was also the principal author of the study and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry in the University of Colorado-Children’s Hospital in Denver), kept a health record of 47 patients suffering from anxiety and 25 patients experiencing poor sleep quality. Facts about research are:

Each patient was given a 25Mg CBD pill per day. After a month, the recorded results were:

79.2% of patients going through anxiety reported a reduction in their anxiety level, and 66.7% of patients going through improper or poor-quality sleep reported a healthy sleeping experience. 

According to Scott Shannon, a founder of Ft Collins, Colo, based integrative medicine clinic, the Wholeness Center, the benefits observed in patients are due to the placebo effect. But he also believes that people might have slept better as they were less stressed about their sleeping issues. 

There is also a scientific explanation for this. According to researchers, the human body has an endocannabinoid gland responsible for maintaining various body functions, such as appetite, mood swings, circadian rhythms, and sleep.

This gland has an extensive network of receptors present in the nervous system and brain. The two primary receptors present here are CB1 and CB2. CBD binds with receptors present all over the body.

So possibly it blinds with one of the receptors that affect the sleeping schedule. Thus, stimulating the sleeping hormones. 

In the study mentioned above, you can also notice that CBD gives good sleep and reduces anxiety. So, people who fail to get good sleep because of anxiety will also get benefits.

A neurosurgeon and clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Joseph Maroon, has researched the impact of cannabis on the brain.

According to him, CBD contains properties to help sleep better, but the vital thing is it deals with anxiety and pain, two of the most prominent obstacles in healthy sleep.  

These studies, researches, and facts clarify that the growing love of people for CBD vape pens and vape cartridges for insomnia is no surprise.

Also, CBD is a natural compound, so it provides minimum side effects, unlike sleeping drugs. Now, have a look at what sleeping pills offer you.

Sleeping Pills and Insomnia

Sleeping pills, also known as Hypnotics, Sedatives, Sleep aids, Sleep medicine, and Tranquilizers. They are known to help you sleep.

People with sleeping disorders like insomnia take sleeping pills to fall asleep. The question is, are they effective? Or are they faster than CBD?

There are a wide variety of sleeping pills available in the market. Each works differently. Some cause drowsiness, while others calm the portion of your brain that keeps you active or alert.

Unfortunately, various studies show that these aids are not very effective in providing good sleep. 

The people who took sleeping aids fell asleep faster than those who did not. However, the difference was only eight to twenty minutes. That means that you might get almost 35 minutes of extra sleep. 

You can say that these pills are for short-term effects. Also, they do not deal with anxiety or pain. So, if you cannot get sleep because of chronic pain or anxiety, sleeping pills might disappoint you.

CBD Vs. Sleeping Pills

Various things show CBD is better for sleep than sleeping pills but, you cannot get to a conclusion quickly. Talking about CBD, Maroon says, “many questions remain as to timing, the amount to take, and route of dosing CBD for sleep,” 

More than a sleeping aid, CBD is, “alternative natural method to help calm anxious thoughts that often delay or interrupt natural sleep.” says Maroon. 

Conclusion

There are cases where CBD instantly benefitted the patient and delivers a better sleep, while it does not have any effect in some cases.

Sleeping pills are usually effective but not enough to give you a long-term benefit. Also, there are side effects. So, if you are thinking of choosing CBD, consult with your doctor about the doses before taking any further steps.