Is CBN Good For Anxiety?
Maybe you’ve heard the rumors that CBN can help people get a peaceful night’s sleep, and you’re intrigued by the idea of a natural calming supplement. You’ll be pleased to know CBN’s anxiolytic effects, or its relaxing effects, are real.
CBN research is still in the early stages and is not an approved medical treatment yet. But science supports a range of potentially helpful applications of CBN.
If CBN supplements could help with anxiety, it would be excellent news for an overwhelming number of Americans. In the U.S., around 13.3% of individuals suffer from anxiety disorders, the most prevalent mental disorders. Plus, the number of Americans seeking anxiety and depression help in 2020 understandably rose 93% from the previous year.
So if you’re one of the many people whose anxiety has emerged or intensified after the unprecedented times we’ve endured since 2020, read on to discover the potential benefits of CBN for anxiety and other health issues.
We’ll outline where CBN comes from, how it could alleviate anxiety, the best ways to take it, and its other possible health benefits.
What is CBN and Where Does it Come From?
Cannabis plants have a host of natural compounds called cannabinoids, which have unique chemical makeups and effects. The cannabinoid CBN is different from the rest. It comes from the degradation of another cannabis compound, THC.
When hemp plant material containing THC ages and comes in contact with air, light, and heat, the THC increasingly converts into CBN over time.
But that doesn’t mean CBN affects the body and mind like THC. THC can positively influence health, but it has the trade-off of causing a significant high.
The human body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) responds to CBN a little differently. CBN differs from THC in its interaction with the cannabinoid receptors, also called the CB1 receptors. These receptors are the channels for the ECS to process cannabinoids and regulate nervous and immune system processes.
CBN’s relationship with cannabinoid receptors makes it slightly psychoactive, only about 10-25% as strong as THC. However, due to analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, CBN can help relieve pain. In addition, it is quickly gaining popularity for improving sleep.
CBN also has calm-inducing aromatic oils called terpenes, which is another way it can influence mood.
Is CBN Illegal, Since it Comes from THC?
No, CBN that originates from low-THC hemp plants is not illegal. The 2018 Farm Bill effectively legalized research, production, sale, and possession of all parts of industrial hemp, that is, cannabis plants with less than 0.3% THC.
And although CBN comes from THC aging, these cannabinoids are two distinct compounds with significantly differing effects. CBN does not have the potent high of THC, which the federal government considers potentially dangerous and habit-forming. Therefore, no known state or federal legislation lists CBN as a controlled substance, as long as the CBN is derived from hemp, not marijuana.
Is CBN Good for Anxiety?
Despite overwhelming anecdotal reports of people feeling calmer from CBN, there are not yet any studies linking CBN to anxiety relief. But, there is scientific evidence that tells us about CBN’s possible relationships with sedation, sleep, and relaxation.
Unlike CBD, CBN does not have established anxiolytic effects. But researchers often consider CBN a natural sedative and have referred to it as modestly anxiolytic.
This could be related to CBN’s apparent ability to cause vasorelaxation and sensory neuropeptide release. In experiments, mice with chronic stress exhibit impaired vasorelaxation, and signaling molecules in the brain called neuropeptides seem to play a role in stress physiology.
Furthermore, the sleep-promoting qualities of CBN may be a valuable topic of future research on CBN and anxiety/relaxation. Anxiety and sleep disturbance can be cyclical problems since anxiousness often impairs sleep, and poor sleep can contribute to even more anxiety.
So while we don’t have any studies to establish CBN as a treatment for anxiety, the primary draw of cannabinol among users is its sedative properties that promote relaxation and improved sleep.
How to Take CBN for Anxiety Relief?
If you’re still curious whether CBN might help you relax or feel calmer, here are some tips for success.
Consult your Doctor
If anxiety or sleep disruptions impede your quality of life, you should see a doctor. Additionally, you should always talk to your doctor before starting CBN or any other supplement.
Combine with Positive Habits
Often, the best way to address issues with sleep and anxiousness is a holistic approach from all angles of one’s lifestyle. Positive habits like exercise, eating well, sleep hygiene, minimal caffeine, and coping strategies may not make your anxiety disappear altogether, but they’re vital steps in the right direction.
The Right CBN Product
There are various CBN products, including capsules and soft gels, gummies, and oil tinctures. Which one you use is a matter of personal preference, whether you prefer the quick and easy pill way, like taking a vitamin, the convenience and pleasant taste of gummies, or how oil tinctures let you control dosage and mix CBN into food and drink.
Appropriate Dosage
Take CBN in deliberate doses and at the right time of day. Start with a low dose and adjust as needed to get the benefits you want and avoid feeling groggy. Depending on your body size, diet, and the CBN supplement you take, you may see therapeutic effects at doses as low as 2-5 mg.
CBN + CBD
Take advantage of the entourage effect. There is a lot more information about anxiety relief from CBD, and combining multiple cannabinoids can provide outsized positive results while maintaining a low dose.
As the case for CBD as a potential anxiety treatment grows, many CBD users reportedly experience anxiety reduction, and scientists are quickly gaining a better understanding of CBD’s anxiety-fighting effects and mechanisms.
If you deal with anxiety, taking CBN supplements containing CBD or other balance-promoting cannabinoids like CBG could increase your likelihood of feeling better.
What are the Potential Benefits of CBN for People with Anxiety?
We already mentioned CBN’s small possible links to relaxed mood, sleep, vasorelaxation, and neuropeptides. While we hope to know more about these possible benefits in the future, we don’t know enough right now to say for sure that CBN helps people with anxiety.
However, many individuals with anxiety, stress, sleep disturbances, and other concerns may be interested in some advantages of CBN that have more solid evidence behind them.
Sleep Aid
There are preliminary indications that CBN can help people fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake more rested, even at low doses, with minimal adverse effects.
Anti-Inflammatory and Pain Relief
CBN’s analgesic and anti-inflammatory functions could make it an alternative to NSAID pain relievers. It even seems promising as a way to treat painful fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.
Antibacterial Properties
Like other cannabinoids, including CBD and CBG, cannabinol displays potent antimicrobial/antibacterial activity. It has even killed virulent MRSA bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant and dangerous strain of staph infections.
Neuroprotectant
CBN is neuroprotective, meaning it can preserve nerve cells from cell death found in brain aging and neurodegeneration. An animal experiment has also shown CBN to delay the onset of ALS, a neurodegenerative motor-neuron disorder.
Appetite Stimulation
Evidence for appetite stimulation from CBN has mainly focused on individuals with HIV and those undergoing cancer treatment, but low appetite is also common in people struggling with anxiety. CBN can significantly improve appetite, increasing meal frequency, size, and duration.
More
In addition, there is some evidence for CBN as an anticonvulsant, anti-cancer agent, stimulant of bone marrow stem cells (bone growth), psoriasis and burn treatment, and glaucoma remedy.
CBN for Anxiety FAQs
Does CBN make you sleepy?
Yes, CBN can make people sleepy and is most sought-after for helping promote quality sleep.
Does CBN make you high?
No. Although CBN is mildly psychoactive (10-25% as psychoactive as THC), it does not cause a high unless taken in enormous doses.
What does CBN do to the brain?
CBN seems to work as a neuroprotective agent, and many people report feeling calmer and sleeping better.
Can you take melatonin with CBN for anxiety relief?
Yes, CBN products sometimes contain melatonin, which may help regulate anxiety. However, CBN is not an approved anxiety treatment, with or without added melatonin. Speak to your doctor if you need help managing anxiety.
What Do You Do For Improved Mood and Sleep?
Anxiety is a challenging condition, and stress gets overwhelming quickly these days. Burdensome stress, anxiety, and sleep issues are important topics to discuss with your doctor so you can get on a path to relief.
Some people rely on talk therapy, coping strategies, and a healthy lifestyle to stay balanced. Hemp-based supplements can be a valuable piece of that equation.
Whether CBN can meaningfully relieve anxiety is not clear yet, but anecdotal claims and early impressions imply that cannabinol may be calming and sleep-promoting, among other benefits. We hope to watch the science of CBN unfold over the coming years.
If you’re excited to discover what cannabinol can do, shop CBN products now, and explore how it can add a little peace and relaxation to your life.
