Need to Calm Down Before Bed? These 12 CBD Products Could Help You Tackle Restless Nights

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Everyone is trying to get better sleep today, and there are no shortage of products that promise to help ease you into deeper slumber, from weighted blankets to fancy sound machines. But more and more people are adding CBD and adaptogens to their sleep checklist as well.

At a Glance: The Best CBD Products for Sleep

Related: From (CBD) Pillows to White Noise Machines, 13 Ways to Get Better Sleep

When Travis Barker had trouble falling asleep on tour, after a grueling schedule had him in a different city and different bed each night, the drummer started to look for more “natural ways to wind down.” That’s when he discovered CBD.

“I used to have trouble with sleep,” Barker told Rolling Stone in 2021, “and I would take a ton of melatonin, valerian tea, Tylenol PM, or Nyquil,” he admits, “but CBD was like the best kind of result that I got.”

The immediate benefits that Barker found with CBD led him to create Barker Wellness, a line of cannabinoid-infused products, as well as their collaboration with Kourtney Kardashian on calming bath flakes for sleep infused with magnesium. While CBD is not a medically-approved solution for sleep, experts say a little CBD along with natural adaptogens such as ashwagandha and valerian could go a long towards promoting more soothing, stress-free slumber.

In This Article

What Is the Best CBD For Sleep?

How Does CBD Work for Sleep?

Will CBD for Sleep Make You Drowsy or High?

How We Chose the Best CBD Products for Sleep

What is the Best CBD for Sleep?

If you’re looking to try out the top CBD products for sleep, we’re rounded up some of our favorite options below.

1. evn Sleep Powder

If you’re used to a warm drink before bed to calm you down, evn’s Sleep Powder will help you ease your way into some Zzz’s. Each serving (about a spoonful) contains 20mg of full spectrum CBD which you blend into milk (of any kind), tea or hot water about 30 minutes before you go to bed.

Not only is the hemp organically-sourced and lab-tested, but the powder also has a “sleep-enhancing” blend of magnesium, passionflower, L-theanine, melatonin, vitamins, and minerals to give us a deeper sleep that we woke up from feeling refreshed instead of zonked. If you don’t like the “grassy” taste of a CBD oil (I don’t), evn’s Sleep Powder also has a pleasant cocoa flavor that tastes more like a pre-bed treat than a medicinal tincture. While it can take have an effective boost to your sleep quality after one night, we’ve found that using it for 2-3 nights in a row got us the best rest possible.

2. Sunday Scaries CBN + CBD Sleep Oil

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all the CBD choices out there, Sunday Scaries CBN + CBD Sleep Oil is one of the easiest and least intimidating ways to ease into a nightly bedtime routine. Along with CBD, this bottle includes CBN (a cannabinoid gaining recognition for its sedative effects) for when you want to chill out, and then a little boost of ingredients like Chamomile, L-Theanine, GABA, Lemon Balm and Valerian Root for that extra restful oomph.

Aside from being an incredible value, the tincture has rave reviews online. The CBD tincture can go directly under the tongue (we like dropping it in our tea and water), but you can even mix it into your favorite lotion and lather up (Sunday Scaries also recommends trying a few drops of the CBD oil in your bath to help you relax). Just a few drops before bed — your CBD routine just got a whole lot easier.

3. Charlotte’s Web CBD Sleep Gummies

We’re big fans of these raspberry-flavored CBD gummies from Charlotte’s Web, which has helped us ease into sleep with less tossing and turning (or anxious thoughts). Each gummy contains 10mg of CBD, along with other natural sleep aids like 3mg of melatonin. We’ve found that these work fast, so take them just before bed (like 15-20 minutes before you hit the sack).

Each pack contains 30 servings. Not sure how your body will react? We started by taking half a gummy, before slowly graduating to taking the full piece.

4. Prima Sleep Tight Soft Gels

Take one or two of these Prime Soft Gels before bed each night as part of your wind down routine. In our experience, the easy-to-swallow capsules have worked wonders in helping us fall asleep faster — and stay asleep without waking up in the middle of the night.

While other CBD blends for sleep use melatonin to help you doze off, Prima’s formula is melatonin-free, swapping the popular sleep aid for other natural remedies, like the amino acid compounds 5-HTP and GABA (which promote relaxation and mood enhancement), plus natural herbs like passion flower, California poppy and lavender to help calm and sedate without the need for a prescription.

We woke up feeling less groggy too and the CBD capsules don’t give you that intoxicated feeling you get from cheaper generic CBD brands.

5. Homebody Amethyst + Alchemist Pearlescent CBD Bath Soak

Homebody says its Amethyst + Alchemist Pearlescent Bath Soak helps to “lull you into a zen-like state” and “prepares you for optimal beautifying sleep” with 50mg of hemp-derived CBD, herbs, and essential oils like French Lavender, Vetiver, Peppermint Leaf, Neroli, and Spanish Rosemary. Slightly hokey language aside, this CBD bath soak did wonders for our sore muscles and mild cramps, in addition to being a wonderful way to de-stress and ease some tension at the end of the day.

Just shake the desired amount into your bath under warm, running water (we find using 1/3 of the pouch per bath is enough), let it fizz and dissipate, then sit and soak for at least 30 minutes (or more). Don’t have a full bath tub? We’ve also used this in a tiny apartment shower, just as an exfoliant — you can dampen the soak and it massages into the skin nicely.

6. Dr. Kerklaan Natural CBD Sleep Cream

Dr. Kerklaan makes one of our favorite CBD lotions for pain relief, but if you’re already going to smooth on some hydrating lotion after a shower or before bed, their sleep cream has had the added benefit of helping us toss and turn less.

Setting the stage to help you destress, the formula combines 4mg of CBD with melatonin and fragrances of natural sleep aids like mandarin, lavender, and verbena. We love that the cream has a non-greasy feel, and absorbed quickly into our skin (and the calming smell means no “hemp”-y scent). The squeeze bottle makes it easy to apply as part of a nightly routine if you don’t want to take a tincture or drink something before bed, and Dr. Kerklaan recommends massaging into your temples, forehead, neck, and shoulders.

Formulated by Dr. Andrew Kerklaan himself (who has over 20 years of experience) in conjunction with biochemists, this gives us peace of mind that we’re using the good stuff.

7. CBDFX CBD Gummies with Melatonin for Sleep

These CBD gummies are some of the easiest options on our list to take, and one of the least-intimidating way to get into CBD for sleep. Take two of these gummies 30 minutes before bed for best effects. The lemon-flavored chews combine CBD with melatonin, which is a natural sleep aid. The company says the addition of magnesium helps to promote calmness.

Each serving of two gummies contains 50mg of broad spectrum CBD. Everything is certified vegan, all-natural and gluten-free, so it’s easy on the stomach too. A bonus: they actually taste pretty good too.

8. NuLeaf Naturals Full-Spectrum CBN Oil

Colorado-based NuLeaf Naturals makes some of the most straight-forward and fast-acting CBD products on the market, in our experience. They’ve got easy-to-take formulas that promise to help clear your mind and prepare your body for sleep. We like their full-spectrum CBN oil, which uses CBN, another cannabinoid in the cannabis plant that is said to have sleep benefits. While some CBD can have energizing effects, researchers have found that CBN is used more as a natural sedative.

This bottle contains 60 servings of CBN oil — about 30mg per dropper. Start with half a dropper to see if you feel sleepy; gradually increase to a full dropper for maximum effect.

9. Puff Herbals Sleepy Spliffs

Having pre-rolls or hemp joints on hand makes it more convenient than ever to reap the full benefits of CBD for sleep, while still enjoying the ritual of sparking up and taking a puff. Unlike the super intense stuff you might find you might find at a suspicious smoke shop, these Indica-dominant, hemp-derived CBD joints from Puff Herbals won’t actually get you high — with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC content, these pre-rolls are a super convenient pre-bedtime way to enjoy a premium, “heady” amount of relaxation without going overboard into couch-sinking territory.

But these herbal “Sleepy Spiffs” also pack a soothing bouquet of leaves and flowers like Mugwort, English Lavender, Chamomile, Skullcap, and Passionflower to help prepare for drift off. Each pack comes with 5 half-gram pre-rolls with ~29 grams of CBD per roll. Compared to gummies or tinctures, though, smoking CBD is one of the most “bioavailable” forms of CBD, meaning it’s absorbed more efficiently, so we’ve found you can get to that pleasant aah feeling even faster.

10. Zolt “Dreamy” Drink Mix

Nothing helps you unwind and get ready for bed quite like a hot, soothing drink, which is why we like these “Dreamy” drink mix sticks from Zolt. Essentially a drink mix with CBD, each individually-wrapped pack contains 20mg of Kentucky-grown hemp, 3mg of melatonin and adaptogens (think aswagandha to help you de-stress). Natural honey, lemon and orange gives this a light citrusy flavor.

To use: pour one stick into about 8oz. of water. We like taking it with hot water about 20-30 minutes before bed. Prefer a more refreshing treat before you sleep? The Zolt drink mix blends easily into cold water too.

11. Alurx 5 Herb Tea Blend with CBD

There are plenty of herbal “sleepy-time” teas out there, but we’ve upgraded to Alurx unique CBD tea blend as a bedtime ritual. Their non-caffeinated tea blend is crafted with a calming mix of the usual suspects — Valerian Root, Chamomile, and Lavender.

But the addition of 25mg of hemp did make a different in the state of our relaxation, and helped us ease faster in a better night’s sleep than regular herbal tea alone. Deliciously-flavored with peppermint, it also just makes for a soothing and refreshing nightcap. There’s 14 tea sachets per box, and it’s always THC-free.

12. Recess Sparkling Water

Recess may not be a CBD drink designed specifically for sleep, but it’s infused with broad spectrum hemp with a calming aesthetic practically tailor-made for drinking at sunset. That is to say, we love it.

This drink is a super refreshing alternative to your evening cup a tea, including adaptogens (herbs that help you adapt to stress) like L-theanine and American ginseng. Each can has 10 mg of cannabidiol (on the lower end for CBD beverages) for whenever you want to feel calm and wind down for the day.

The sippability of these drinks also totally beat out the full-blown hemp taste some tinctures can leave on your tongue, with flavors like Pomegranate Hibiscus, Blackberry Chai, and Coconut Lime. Perfect for drinking at your bedside table, lounging poolside in the sun, or after a particularly stressful Zoom meeting — you don’t need to be heading off to dreamland to try this “anytime” beverage.

How Does CBD Work for Sleep?

“CBD is a compound that supports a powerful, yet widespread network of receptors in the body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is known to help regulate energy, mood, sleep, and more,” explains Dr. Jason Wersland, Founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody, the newly-redesigned company behind the popular Theragun percussion devices. “Researchers have found that CBD, found naturally in the hemp plant, interacts with ECS receptors throughout the body much like molecules the body naturally produces.”

Experts say the best CBD products for sleep also help you wind down by addressing some of the root causes of restlessness and stress.

“Most people don’t realize the quality of sleep is closely related to stress and maintaining a strong immune system, and you need both systems properly in check if you want an optimal immune response to anything,” adds Jay Hartenbach, CEO of CBD brand Medterra. “If your cortisol levels are elevated, it can keep you awake. CBD is thought to decrease this and keep your body in a homeostasis state.”

If you’re just easing into CBD, Hartenbach suggests finding CBD products that also contain other ingredients that work together to help you feel more restful and relaxed. “CBD, amino acids, L-theanine and 5-HTP, and relaxing herbs like passion flower, chamomile, and lemon balm have each individually been shown to help with providing a full restful night and have been expertly formulated to work together for desired results to address the most common issues,” Hartenbach says. “Proper sleep and circadian control are absolutely essential to an optimally functioning immune system. If your body lacks restful sleep, so does your immunity.”

Will CBD for Sleep Make You Drowsy or High?

The best CBD for sleep is designed to help you ease into slumber — not knock you out. And unlike THC, which may have some psychoactive effects, Wersland says “CBD is non-intoxicating and will not make you feel high.”

If you’re new to CBD, trying a CBD gummy for sleep is an easy way to test out its effects in an easy-to-take format (basically like a gummy bear or gummy vitamin). Many brands also have flavorless CBD oils (or “CBD tinctures”), which come out of a dropper, letting you control exactly how much you want to take. Wersland’s suggestion: start small and then see how the tincture affects you. “If you’d like to take one full dropper that’s 33mg of full-spectrum CBD you can,” he says, “or you can take a ¼ of a dropper which is about 8mg of CBD.”

Of course CBD is primarily meant for therapeutic benefits and is not meant to replace any doctor-recommended prescriptions if you suffer from serious insomnia. You should also see a doctor if you have a severe sleep disorder, restlessness or anxiety, as CBD is not meant to treat those issues.

How We Chose the Best CBD Products for Sleep

The products on our list have all been tested by our editors for ease of use and efficacy over a period of several weeks, though CBD will affect everyone differently. All the products on our list have also been tested by independent third-party labs for quality assurance and safety, but you should read the ingredient list and labels before using to find the right products for your needs.