The Battle For A Good Night's Sleep: Is Cannabis' CBN Going To Give Melatonin A Run For Its Money?

This article was originally published on Cannabis.net and appears here with permission.

Melatonin is one of the most widely used supplements worldwide.

It’s an over-the-counter supplement that adults rely on to help treat insomnia. Melatonin is natural, because it’s a hormone that the body already produces when we are exposed to darkness. It assists in regulating the circadian rhythm to ensure that we are getting proper sleep, and it is effective even at small doses to help you get some shut-eye.

There are also many benefits to taking melatonin. Aside from it being accessible and affordable, this popular sleep aid also has antioxidant properties, can help reduce the production of cortisol – the stress hormone, regulate blood pressure, and improve the immune system.

However, many people have found relief from using cannabis. There are numerous cannabinoids within the cannabis plant that offer the same benefits as melatonin, some even more.

Meet CBN – Cannabinol

CBN is one of the newer cannabinoid compounds from cannabis, though lesser known compared to its other cousins, CBD, CBG, and of course, THC. However, it’s been getting some attention recently because of its ability to induce sleep and relax. This is possible because it’s created when Delta 9 THC is degraded, which can be done in the lab.

CBN also forms naturally when THC is exposed to light and heat, that’s because it naturally oxidizes in these situations. That’s why if you have left your weed out for a long time, or exposed to air, it might not get you as high as you wanted though it can make you sleepy – because the THC has already turned into CBN.

Once we consume CBN, it binds to the CB1 receptor though not as tightly as THC would. For this reason, CBN is often referred to as the THC but without the high.

While CBD does relax, it’s not as powerful as taking CBN. There are CBN supplements already in the market which have been designed to help consumers fall asleep or relax quicker, with an onset time of an hour or less. There are numerous anecdotal reports of CBN helping people fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer, though there are very few studies that document its ability to do that. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying and buying CBN supplements.

Pain Relief 

Aside from sleep, CBN is promising on other fronts, such as pain relief. There was a 2019 animal study revealing that the consumption of both CBN and CBD were effective in reducing myofascial pain among the rat subjects; they also found that using both cannabinoids together was more effective than using any of them alone. This can be explained because of the widely studied entourage effect of cannabinoids, where the presence of other cannabinoids has been proven to enhance the therapeutic effects of the other.

Inflammation

There’s also some studies showing that CBN has some anti-inflammatory properties. In the study, researchers discovered that it was effective in reducing the pain caused by arthritis, which is caused by inflammation within the joints.

Skin and Bone Health

Some studies suggest that CBN has the potential to help create new bone cells by activating stems cells and promoting the growth of new bones. It can also help minimize bone loss while helping to treat fractures. Furthermore, CBN has been found to be helpful in decreasing the overgrowth of skin cells when applied topically, and may help treat psoriasis.

Antibacterial

Consuming CBN has been shown to be effective in fighting bacteria, even for bacteria that resists conventional antibiotic medications such as MRSA.

Anti-Cancer

Most research of using CBN to fight cancer is still in its early phases, but what scientists have found so far is that CBN may be promising in for its ability to slow the spread of cancer cells. In addition, it was one of many cannabinoids that was found to be successful in reducing the growth of tumors for lung cancer.

CBD vs. CBN: What’s The Difference?

While cannabidiol (CBD) is largely more famous compared to CBN, they do have unique properties that can be beneficial to many people. They occur in varying quantities within the cannabis plant, and also respond to the endocannabinoid system in different ways.

There are a few key differences between the two star cannabinoids that are helpful for first-time users to know more about them. For one, there is more evidence that CBD can be beneficial for anxiety compared to CBN. Another is that, while thy are both effective for sleep, CBN has been shown to be more powerful in inducing shut-eye.

What To Know Before Taking CBN

CBN is widely available usually in oil form, and it has such a loyal following especially among people who struggle to get some shut-eye. Since it has no known side effects, just like other cannabinoids, you can go ahead to experiment and see if it does indeed do a better job than melatonin.

Keep in mind that, also just like other cannabis products, you should start small and go slow until you are confident of the expected effects you take when you consume CBN. On top of that, don’t take it unless your physician has cleared you to mix it, if you are already taking pharmaceutical drugs. While taking cannabinoids alone don’t have any side effects, there could be several unwanted effects if you combine them with pharmaceutical drugs. It can also unexpectedly weaken the effects of medicines, render medications useless in your body, or amplify them, so it is never recommended to mix cannabinoids with pharmaceutical drugs.

Have you taken CBN? What was your experience like?