CBN And Melatonin – Can I Use Them Together?

For a long time, melatonin supplements have been a top choice of sleeping aid product. According to several reports, Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on supplements containing melatonin. However, cannabinoids such as CBD and CBN are currently shaking up the health and wellness market. While offering a wide range of potential therapeutic benefits, these cannabinoids seem to be particularly useful in promoting a good night’s sleep.

CBN And Melatonin – Why Use Either for Sleep?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one-third of Americans (35%) get less than the recommended 7-hour minimum nightly sleep. Estimates also say that a further 35% get at least 7 hours of sleep, but report not feeling like they got enough sleep. The importance of a good night’s sleep is not something to dismiss casually by any means. Studies show sleep deprivation as repeatedly seeming to have a significant impact on one’s health and well-being. In fact, there is a prevalent link between the lack of adequate sleep and 7 of the leading causes of death in the United States.

The lack of enough and quality sleep, in the short-term, tends to affect one’s concentration and ability to retain information and has a significant impact on mood and judgment. It can cause conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and sometimes premature death in the long-term. As you can see, this is something that you shouldn’t take lightly at all. If you are amongst the millions of Americans suffering from sleep deprivation, then seeking a supplemental sleep aid might help you get that perfect night’s sleep that you so much desire and urgently need.

Many prescription drugs out there, such as Restoril and Ambien, are used to treat chronic sleep deprivation. However, an increasing number of people are leaning towards more natural solutions. There is a growing need for a remedy that is not only highly effective in calming the body but also low on risks. Prescription sleep aid medications cause a wide range of undesirable side effects. Some of those might, ironically, end up further worsening your sleep quality in the long run.

CBN And Melatonin – What Is CBN?

Research into the potential uses of CBN, short for cannabinol, is still in its preliminary phases. Some studies have found CBN to be highly effective in helping people with sleeping disorders get better quality sleep. Some studies have even found that combining CBN with THC produces more sedating effects than THC alone, another famous cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. Scientific evidence shows that THC significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to fall asleep in physically healthy insomniacs. Considering that some studies have shown that isolated CBN is powerful in promoting sleep and extending sleep hours, CBN’s potential seems promising.

The use of CBN and Melatonin as better sleep aids has recently become a trending topic. This article will take a closer look at what you need to know about these two compounds. We’ll also see if the two put together can or cannot actually help deliver you a much better night of sleep.

What is CBN?

You might have heard a lot about THC and CBD. They are, after all, the two most popular and well-known cannabinoids. But you might want to know more about cannabinol (CBN) too. CBN is a chemical compound found in aged cannabis plants. Scientists have found that after prolonged exposure to heat or oxygen, THC turns into CBN. Due to the degradation of THC, users of CBN don’t experience the ‘high’ associated with THC.

What Does CBN Do?

Apart from the lack of psychoactive properties, CBN shares a lot of other similarities with CBD. Same as CBD, CBN is useful in treating inflammation and convulsions.

However, one place that CBN may really outshine CBD is in its potential use as a sleep aid. When taking in tiny amounts, CBD is known to have stimulating effects, which means that you will feel more energized and active after taking it. However, CBN, on the other hand, has been found to have powerful sedating and relaxing effects, making it more effective than CBD for sleep. CBN exhibits these characteristics, particularly when used together with THC. This means that the combined use of CBN and THC delivers much better results.

However, thanks to this, some professionals have been skeptical about the supposed sleep-induced effects of CBN. However, others agree that CBN’s powerful sleep-promoting effects have something to do with the entourage effect. This principle suggests that the combined interaction of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids produces more amplified effects than when used on their own. This also explains why marketing often touts broad-spectrum CBD as being more beneficial than CBD isolate. For those who aren’t aware, broad-spectrum CBD contains CBD and all the other compounds found in the cannabis plant, apart from THC, which manufacturers usually remove after extraction. CBD isolate products contain only pure CBD.

Due to the remarkable entourage effect obtained from combining CBN and THC, industry experts project the CBN market to grow rapidly and possibly even overcome melatonin’s popularity. While CBN and Melatonin may produce similar results in terms of sleep, CBN also appears to offer additional effects.

How Does CBN Work in the Body?

Cannabinoids such as CBD and CBN work in the body in a number of ways. One way CBN affects your body is through the endocannabinoid system. This is a complex system present in the human body that is responsible for regulating a wide range of bodily functions and responses. These include sleep, memory, mood, pain, appetite, gut immunity, and many other functions.

CBN also affects the body by influencing hormone and neurotransmitter activity. This, in turn, affects mood, cognition, focus, appetite, temperature and energy, pain, immune function, and so on. Considering the fact that CBN has a similar chemical structure to CBD, it produces some of the same effects as CBD in the body. These include reducing inflammation, alleviating pain, and promoting sleep.

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a naturally-occurring hormone produced in the pineal gland found in the human brain. This hormone is responsible for regulating the body’s sleep-wake cycles, also known as the circadian rhythm, as well as the immune and reproductive system.

The onset of darkness usually triggers the production of melatonin. That explains why you often start to feel tired and sleepy in the evening. Melatonin’s production in the body elevates as you get into the night and eventually peaks usually at around 11 pm to 1 am when it is entirely dark.

Melatonin’s levels in the body start to decrease early in the morning as the sun begins to rise. As light intensity begins to increase in the morning, the melatonin levels sharply lower in the first 30 minutes and then decline steadily after that. This reduction in melatonin levels helps you to feel more awake and alert.

Apart from light intensity, another factor that can affect your melatonin production levels is diet. Certain foods are known to contain high levels of the melatonin hormone. These include rice, barley, rolled oats, olives, grapes, tart cherries, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and walnuts

Besides being produced in the body, melatonin is also available in pill form as an over-the-counter supplement. This form of melatonin has proven to be highly beneficial amongst people with Melatonin deficiency in the body. Melatonin supplements are one of the most sought-after natural sleep remedies in the US. Globally, melatonin has a market cap of more than $1 billion currently in the year 2020. There are also forecasts expecting to surpass the $3 billion mark by the end of 2026.

Benefits of Melatonin

• Helps to support improved sleep
• Can be used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Helps to increase levels of the human growth hormone
• Helps to promote better eye health
• Can help to reduce symptoms of seasonal depression

Seasonal depression is, by the way, a kind of depression often associated with changes in seasons. It tends to happen during the same period, early winter. As light intensity tends to change with seasons, this can throw off your circadian rhythm leading you to depression. In this case, you can regulate the circadian rhythm by taking low doses of melatonin. Thus, reducing seasonal depression symptoms.

Potential Side effects of melatonin

While melatonin is generally safe to use, it can lead to some side effects, including:

• Headaches
• Day-time sleepiness
• Nausea
• Irritability
• Short-term feelings of depression

Can CBN and Melatonin Be Used Together?

Absolutely! The combined use of CBN and Melatonin may further improve sleep. In fact, some melatonin supplement manufacturing companies have been looking to make supplements using a combination of the two compounds.

Also, an increasing number of people are experimenting by mixing various amounts of CBN and Melatonin to create their own sleeping aid. If you use this approach, it is essential to find your optimum ratio in order to minimize your chances of suffering side effects. And to speak with your doctor before adding any new supplement to your routine. That means you will need to make some bit of trial and error at first until you find the sweet spot. Good luck with that, and, hopefully, good night!