Does CBG Make You Sleepy?

Young woman sleeping in a bed.

It’s fairly common knowledge that certain strains of marijuana can make people feel sleepy. In fact, cannabis use for sleep-promoting, calming, sedative, and anesthetic effects dates back millennia.

For example, surgeons in 2nd century C.E. China used cannabis as an anesthetic, and, among other uses, it likely served as a sleep aid in ancient India. Ancient Greek historians documented a culture called the Thracians falling asleep quickly when using cannabis after meals. 

In the early 20th century, before widespread cannabis crackdowns, physicians indicated cannabis as a sleep aid and insomnia treatment. 

But does CBG have the same sleep-inducing effects as traditional cannabis? 

Improving Sleep without Grogginess

If you’re looking into CBG as a supplement for pain, mental health, IBD, or even sleep improvements, you probably want to avoid taking something that causes excessive grogginess. After all, what’s the point of solving one problem just to introduce a new problem that interferes with your ability to function?

Don’t worry, CBG won’t have you playing Symptom Whack-a-Mole. Unlike traditional marijuana and its psychoactive components THC and CBN, CBG does not have a sedative effect. 

To the contrary, users find that appropriate doses of CBG improve sleep quality, reducing fatigue while enhancing energy and mental focus. 

If you’re looking for a thorough breakdown of CBG’s potential benefits for sleep and energy levels, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading for an explanation of what to expect, with the science to back it up.

How Does CBG Work?

Cannabigerol (CBG) is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid with an acidic precursor, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Many people define CBG as the ‘mother of all cannabinoids’ in cannabis plants because it is the one compound that produces all the other cannabinoids as the plant develops.

What does CBG do?

In summary, CBG is non-psychoactive and creates the other compounds, including more common cannabinoids CBD, THC, and CBN (the mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that results from THC degradation). But these cannabinoids are all different compounds with distinct chemical structures and effects.

Legally, CBG must derive from hemp plants with less than 0.3% THC, and CBG products also must contain THC below that limit. That’s why taking CBG does not cause intoxication or sleepiness like traditional, high-THC marijuana.

Since CBG converts into 100+ cannabinoids over the cannabis plant’s life cycle, there is ultimately about 1% left. Since plants have such low concentrations of CBG, people have rarely studied or used it historically. 

But now, low-THC, high-CBD strains of industrial hemp plants are legal, and these plants retain more of the uncommon cannabinoid CBG. This development has enabled more use and research into cannabigerol and its effects. And although we need more trials to medically substantiate what CBG does and does not do, early research speaks to the potential benefits and safety of cannabigerol.

How does CBG work in the human body?

The human body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) with cannabinoid receptors to process cannabinoids, including CB1 and CB2 receptors. The ECS helps modulate many bodily functions, including pain and inflammation, sleep, appetite, and pleasure/motivation centers.

CBG binds to CB1 receptors (nervous system) and CB2 (immune system) receptors to help activate the ECS without causing a ‘high’ like THC and has exhibited potent antibacterial properties. Later on, we’ll provide more details on the effects CBG has on the mind and body through the ECS.

Will Taking CBG Make You Sleepy?

No. Taking CBG in moderation alongside healthy habits will not make you sleepy. In fact, from anecdotal evidence, it appears CBG is more likely to improve energy levels. 

Plus, compared to standard medications, CBG’s mild and limited potential side effects are one of the advantages that draw people to CBG as an alternative remedy.

Let’s look at two surveys of patients who took CBG for therapeutic benefits. 

In the first survey, 30.7% of respondents said they were taking CBG for insomnia or disturbed sleep, and 73% felt it worked better than standard medicine for insomnia. 73.9% preferred CBG over regular medicine for chronic pain. 44% of users experienced no adverse events at all, though 15% reported feeling sleepy.

The second survey found that over 70% of participants had improved energy, attention, and thinking, with less fatigue when taking CBG. Relatedly, 63.2% felt calmer, 58.6% felt less anxious, and 44.1% said they slept better. 83.3% of the CBG users with chronic fatigue noticed their condition improve.

From this anecdotal evidence, it seems that CBG improves sleep, energy, and mood while reducing fatigue for many patients, causing sleepiness in a smaller portion of users.

How CBG Affects Your Sleep

When the endocannabinoid system processes CBG, it could offer therapeutic benefits for sleep and energy levels in the following ways:

Scientists think there is a relationship between CBG and the signaling of the neurotransmitters GABA and dopamine. Both GABA and dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ hormone, are thought to impact sleep, contribute to general feelings of well-being, and help regulate stress and anxiety.

In addition to the calming and stress-relieving effects of healthy GABA and dopamine levels, CBG may also interact with brain cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes probably play a role in circadian rhythm. Also known as the ‘internal clock,’ circadian rhythm is responsible for regular sleep cycles.

Furthermore, high doses of CBG have lowered mice’s blood pressure in experiments without significant sedation or locomotor impairment.

So if we revisit that 15% of patients in the first survey who felt sleepy from CBG, excessive doses may explain this side effect.

How to Prevent Drowsiness from CBG Use

We don’t yet have long-term or randomized clinical trials to establish a difinitive side effect profile for CBG. But the available data has not yet revealed any particularly dangerous or concerning adverse effects.

Nonetheless, low blood pressure, faintness, and fatigue are possible in those who take extremely high doses of CBG. 

You can prevent side effects like drowsiness by moderating CBG dosage. To determine the appropriate dosage, consider your body weight, the potency and type (e.g., full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate) of CBG product, your experience with this cannabinoid, and your goal for taking it.

  • Bodyweight: those with lower body weight require lower doses and vice versa.
  • Potency: the more potent a product is, the less you need in order to achieve the desired effect.
  • Type of product: depending on whether the product is full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate CBG, it will contain different proportions of CBG to other compounds. The presence of other cannabinoids can exaggerate CBG’s effects due to a phenomenon called the ‘entourage effect”
  • Experience: if you’ve never taken CBG before and have low tolerance, err on the side of caution with more conservative doses, and gradually increase as necessary. 
  • Goal: when aiming for mental focus, it’s usually best to stick to lower doses, whereas those looking to de-stress or sleep soundly may want to take somewhat more. 

You can find more specific dosage instructions on a product label. For example, one serving size of pure CBG isolate from Nature’s Legend is 1 ml (1 full dropper), which contains 58 mg CBG.

Tips to Remember Before Taking CBG for Sleep

There is definitely a right and wrong way to approach CBG and other cannabinoids or supplements. To maximize your chances of getting the effects you want and minimize the chances of adverse events, use caution and consider the following pointers:

Maintain healthy habits.

CBG (or any other supplement) is not a substitute for healthy habits. Stick to a consistent routine of sleeping and waking at the same time each day, limit screen time and food before bed, exercise regularly, and keep your caffeine intake under control.

Talk to your doctor.

If you have sleep issues that interfere with your daily life and don’t improve from changing your habits, going to a doctor should be step one. Additionally, you should always consult a doctor before trying CBG or any supplement.

Avoid combining with certain medications.

If you currently take medication, your doctor will help advise you on possible drug interactions. But patients who take the following medications should be aware of potential drug interactions with CBG:

  • mood medications (anxiety, depression, mood disorders)
  • pain medications
  • antibiotics and antimicrobials
  • antihistamines
  • blood pressure medications
  • blood thinners
  • cholesterol medications
  • corticosteroids
  • erectile dysfunction medications
  • prostate medications
  • anticancer medications
  • antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)
  • gastrointestinal (GI) medications, including those for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or nausea
  • heart rhythm medications
  • immunosuppressants 

Follow dosage recommendations.

Follow the dosage on the product label, and remember the aforementioned dosage guidelines. 

Consider your tolerance level.

Your tolerance will likely change as you consistently take CBG. If you stop having the effects you want, gradually increase your dosage in small increments. Talk to your doctor about changing your dosage if you’re not sure.

Listen to your body.

Be aware of CBG’s possible side effects. If you start experiencing unwanted effects like fatigue, talk to your doctor and consider halting CBG use.

FAQs About CBG

Is CBG a sedative?

No. In mice, CBG does not cause sedation even at high levels. However, excessive use may cause side effects like low blood pressure, dizziness, and fatigue.

What does CBG do to the brain?

CBG might influence people’s moods, energy, focus, cognition, internal clock, and sleep. Some scientists think that, by binding to CB2 and CB1 cannabinoid receptors, CBG may affect dopamine, GABA, brain cells called astrocytes, and capillary cells called pericytes that control cerebral blood flow.

Does CBG cause insomnia?

No. Many users actually find CBG helps manage insomnia and sleep disturbances.

What’s the best way to take CBG for sleep?

Users should take CBG in moderation and combine it with healthy, sleep-promoting habits.

How could CBG fit into your daily routine?

Alongside healthy habits, CBG can help improve people’s well-being in unexpected ways. With more medical research, we hope to one day see CBG become an approved treatment for many conditions, including insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, inflammatory bowel disease, glaucoma, cancers, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. It even has strong antibacterial properties. How could CBG help you?

Nature’s Legend provides top-quality, research-backed cannabinoid supplements that come from certified facilities and go through rigorous third-party lab testing. Here’s where to shop trusted CBG products online if you’re ready to find out first-hand how CBG might enhance your daily life.

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