Though they may seem separate at first, many of the medical issues that plague our modern society are intimately interconnected. One such connection exists between proper sleep and maintaining a healthy weight.
The importance of sleep is all too commonly overlooked amid the chaos of our hectic lifestyles. If you are suffering from obesity or another condition associated with excess weight, though, CBD is one natural substance you should definitely be considering.
It doesn’t matter what CBD manufacturers have to say on the subject. The evidence speaks for itself, and in this guide, we’ll start to take a look at some of the data indicating that CBD might be useful for both losing weight and sleeping better.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a natural cannabinoid found in the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike THC, the cannabinoid that made cannabis famous, CBD does not get you high. In fact, CBD does not have any intoxicating properties whatsoever, and it also does not appear to cause dependency.
Instead of offering the side effect profile associated with THC, CBD gently soothes and relaxes while seemingly working wonders under the surface. You might not notice the full effects for weeks, but CBD has a way of smoothing out life’s jagged edges without making you feel loopy or out of it.
Despite facing heavy initial skepticism, CBD has nonetheless now become fully accepted in the United States. When a substance is this beneficial, after all, it can be hard to ignore it for long.
What Does CBD Do?
According to a wide range of different studies conducted over the last seven decades, CBD appears to mildly interact with a variety of different receptors in your central and peripheral nervous systems, eliciting relief for many conditions without any notable side effects. Importantly, CBD simply does not activate the primary neuroreceptor responsible for the intoxicating effects of THC, so it is altogether impossible to get high from using CBD.
The Sleep-Weight Connection
Before we can understand how CBD might be able to improve both your sleep quality and your BMI, we first need to take a look at how sleep and weight are connected. Put as simply as possible, sleeping poorly makes you gain weight, and gaining weight can also make it hard to sleep.
Does Bad Sleep Make You Gain Weight?
Your body uses the time when you are asleep to repair itself and prepare for the rigors of the coming day. It is during sleep that some of your most important hormonal and neurochemical processes take place. If your sleep is healthy, your metabolism will be normal, and your body will be fully prepared for whatever the day may bring.
Bad sleep, though, increases inflammation and oxidative stress while inhibiting the efficiency of your digestion and slowing down your metabolism. In combination, all of these factors make it much easier to gain weight when you’re tired, and chronic lack of sleep can even make you more at risk of developing metabolic disorder or diabetes.
Do You Sleep Better if You Lose Weight?
Being overweight or obese is one of the main reasons that people experience snoring, sleep apnea, and other conditions that can prevent sleep or reduce its quality. Carrying extra weight around also puts more strain on your body and makes it harder for your nervous system to regulate your emotions, increasing anxiety, which can then also negatively impact sleep.
If you lose weight, you will be comfortable sleeping in more positions, and it is far less likely that your sleep will be interrupted or inhibited throughout the night. It is simply not healthy to be overweight, and those with weight issues should strive their hardest to resolve them for their health.
Does CBD Help You Lose Weight By Improving Your Sleep?
CBD should not be viewed as a weight loss drug when used on its own. It is very unlikely that CBD alone will have a noticeable impact on your weight one way or the other.
What CBD might do, though, is help with related conditions enough to provide your body with what it needs to shed the excess pounds and return to an ideal weight. To be effective in this regard, CBD must be combined with an improved diet and anything else your physician recommends.