I Used CBD Oil For Sleep For 7 Days, and Here's What Happened

I tend to go to bed fairly early for someone in my age group, usually between 10 and 11 p.m. So the first night I tried two droppers' worth of CBDistillery's 1000 mg 30 ml Full-Spectrum CBD Tincture, which was admittedly a higher dose than I was used to, I pretty much conked the f*ck out immediately. But before doing so, I felt a tiny bit loopy and a heck more relaxed. The stress melted away immediately.

With that being said, when you take CBD, you need to be ready to sleep. That means no scrolling on your phone or doing cartwheels around your living space. Either read or put the TV on low once you take it.

As a serious pet owner — read: five cats and a giant dog — I get woken up in the middle of the night constantly by my army of portly little cherubs. Sometimes they think it's dinner time at 3:30 a.m., other times they want to play, and sometimes they just want to remind me who's actually in charge of the household, aka them.

So after getting my feet clawed to death several times and getting up to tend to my cats' every beck and call, I crawled back into bed eager to make the most of the three hours of nighttime I had left. Usually, it's extremely difficult for me to fall back asleep quickly, so I wake up exhausted and cranky. But on the nights I took CBD oil before nodding off, I was able to drift off into sleep far more quickly. I woke up refreshed and ready to take on the day, which was a huge, and truly wonderful, change for me.

Like most other people who grapple with anxiety on a daily basis, I often wake up in the middle of the night from a stress dream. Add planning a wedding into the mix, and I was up almost every night wondering about things I could do nothing about at 2 a.m: Did I spell Mike's girlfriend's last name right on the save-the-date? Will my centerpieces really cost $3,000? Do I spring for a raw bar during the cocktail hour? Absolutely yes, but you get the picture.

Once I started taking CBD to fall asleep, a lot of those worries melted away until the next day. I still needed to answer these questions, but they didn't wake me out of a dead sleep for once. And obviously, there's a trickle-down effect. Once I was getting more sleep, I was more equipped to deal with everything when I was actually awake without stressing myself out or ripping someone's head off. I was more organized and calm, and trust me, I really needed that.

It's important to keep in mind that CBD affects everyone differently, so find a dosage that works for you. My advice: start small and work your way up. You're probably not going to take the same amount to go to bed as you would to start your day.

CBD newbies should also note that while it's never healthy to be dependent on any substance to get sleep, taking it is a much better option compared to a sleep aid or a glass of wine, god forbid. You don't wake up groggy or hungover, so it's certainly a win-win in that department.

All in all, taking CBD is a great option for anyone who needs a little help with sleeping through the night. While it's not a magic pill, I woke up consistently more well-rested and happy each and every day I took it.