Insomnia & CBD: Restful Sleep is Possible for Your Patients

According to the American Sleep Association: Nearly 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, with 30% of adults experiencing short-term insomnia. About 10% of people have long-lasting insomnia. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased prevalence of insomnia. Insomnia is linked to several medical conditions and, conversely, several medical conditions can cause insomnia.

When sleep hygiene and natural alternatives don’t work, patients often turn to providers for relief. The most common allopathic treatments are hypnotics such as Lunesta, Sonata, Ambien, Rozerem and Halcion, which often come with a slew of side effects. Commonly reported effects of prescription sleeping pills listed include: Burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or leg, changes in appetite, constipation, diarrhea, difficulty keeping balance, dizziness, daytime drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, mental slowness and heart burn.

Some sleeping pills have potentially harmful side effects, including parasomnias. Parasomnias are movements, behaviors and actions over which you have no control, like sleepwalking. During a parasomnia, you are asleep and unaware of what is happening. Results show an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in regular users of hypnotics. Over-the-counter (OTC) sleep meds often have similar side effects as well. Worse yet, patients frequently build up a tolerance to hypnotics or only experience minimal benefits after taking them for longer periods of time.

However, there may be an answer for those suffering from insomnia hidden in the body's interconnected networks. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays a critical role in the circadian sleep-awake cycling. Due to its interactions with the ECS, cannabidiol (CBD) is proving a highly effect treatment for insomnia without all the negative side-effects or increased tolerance. In an observational study done conducted by medical practitioners from the Formula30A Medical Advisory Board, patients saw improvement in insomnia symptoms during the first week. Within 3 weeks, insomnia scores dropped by 10 points, to level the Insomnia Severity Index identifies as "No significant Insomnia".

In my practice I have personally seen patients immediately improve their sleep when integrating CBD into their healthcare routines. Those patients have reported less irritability, anxiety and focus issues, which is a common result of sleep deprivation. In my patients on Formula30A for other conditions such as pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, DM, and chronic fatigue, they reported improved sleep as well. Knowing that Formula30A is organic, water processed and batched tested is reassuring as a provider. Formula30A is now my first line treatment for insomnia.

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Mary Becton-Crouse, N.P.

Formula30A Medical Advisor

Mary Becton-Crouse has been a Family Nurse Practitioner for 12 years with a passion for taking care of the whole patient in the most holistic way possible. “I love taking care of entire families and helping them achieve the best health possible.” Mary received her undergraduate degree and BSN in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and has been doing bio-identical hormones for 13 years and hormone pellet therapy for 7 yrs. Mary has been married for 28 years and have 2 great kids adopted from Bulgaria. Mary opened her practice in October of 2009. NP Care Clinic is a walk-in clinic for the entire family, that provides holistic care for every patient. Specializing in Functional & Integrative Medicine, Adult & Children’s Medicine, Primary Care, Sick and Well visits, Bio-identical Hormones, Weight Loss and Aesthetics.