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What is CBN?
What is CBN?
There is a lot of talk about CBD, but there are a lot of other compounds that are equally as beneficial but rarely discussed. One of our absolute favorite compounds in the office, for a plethora of reasons, is a compound called CBN. While each of us in the office utilize products with this compound in our homes on a daily basis, you may not know what CBN is or how to properly utilize the benefits. If you struggle with sleep, falling asleep or staying asleep, boy oh boy, do I have some exciting information for you.
CBN Compound Explanation
If you think like me (which you may not – feel free to skip this section and go right to the potential benefits) but I need to know the science behind what I am putting in my body. Whether it be a pharmaceutical prescribed by a doctor and a supplement you’re trying on your own, I highly encourage taking the time to understand how those chemicals work in your body. It is an ongoing joke here at Green Wellness that I google everything in the world – CBN being no different.
CBN stands for Cannabinol, and was the first of the cannabis compounds to be isolated from a red oil extract at the end of the 19th century. From then on, our understanding of this cannabinoid has only grown. Originally CBN was understood to be formed from THC through a degradation process via light, heat, or carboxylation. THC over time and throughs tress will turn into CBN, but typically in small amounts on the vine. While CBN comes from THC, there is not the same level of intoxicating effect. CBN is significantly less potent than THC as an psychotropic agent, but there are still immense benefits that can be gained from this little compound.
Benefits of CBN
CBN is associated with drowsiness, though there is no direct evidence that exists that CBN improves sleep in humans. Nonetheless, there is a plethora of anecdotal evidence that a higher level of CBN can make us drowsy, though not every body is the same. If you have some reservations, just ask Cara about her experience with taking the Entourage softgels in the morning. She thought the drowsiness was a placebo. When she fell asleep at her desk, I will admit that I did make fun of her. CBN has not been shown to help you stay asleep though, like CBD does, so she was able to be woken up for the rest of the work day.
When I take a high CBN isolate and add it to a CBD product, I don’t find that it makes me groggy like traditional sleeping pharmaceuticals, but more like melatonin, I just become sleepy. When I was taking melatonin in the past, I found that the efficacy wore off over time and that if I wasn’t able to fall asleep upon the initial drowsiness, the drowsiness would wear off and I was left restless. With CBN, I find that the CBN continues to make me sleepy for a few hours or until I finally fall asleep, but I wake up feeling rested and not fighting to open my eyes.
CBN Recommendations
Because it’s CBD that’s been shown to help you stay asleep and CBN may help you fall asleep, our favorite products to help us on restless nights marry the two. The product that I always reach for on my bedside table is the WYLD elderberry sleep gummies that have 25mgs of CBD and 5mg of CBN. I find that that is just the right amount of CBN to make me sleepy and the perfect amount of CBD to help me stay asleep and keep my mind from racing. My sleep struggles stem from my brain’s inability to rest, often leaving me thinking about every social interaction I’ve ever had instead of sleeping like I very much need to.
Cara on the other hand, is a right and proper insomniac and she swears by the much stronger Entourage Deep Sleep Microcaps. Each little softgel has 20mgs of CBD, 20mgs of CBN, and 4mgs of CBDV. For those who are in need of a little more sleep support, the 20mgs of CBN is the highest potency that we carry and may really help.
Share Your CBN Stories
There is still so much to study when it comes to the endocannabinoid system and CBN’s role. However, it’s clear that one may be able to find some much needed sleep with a combination of both CBD and CBN. We still need to conduct more research of the effects of CBN in the body, so we would love to hear about your experiences with CBN. Please feel free to share your stories, positive or negative, on our social media and we’re always here to help! You can find us on Instagram or Facebook, or email us at support@greenwellnesslife.com or by phone at 866-244-4223. I hope you sleep well!