CBD and sleep, what the clinical trials measured

When examining CBD and sleep, the scientific literature distinguishes between objective laboratory measurements and subjective self-reports. Cannabidiol is one of more than a hundred cannabinoids identified in Cannabis sativa. It is not intoxicating, and it is the cannabinoid most studied in humans after THC.

Laboratory sleep studies in healthy volunteers

Controlled sleep research relies on polysomnography, an overnight diagnostic assessment that records brain waves, eye movements, heart rate and respiration. Across the clinical literature, overnight instrumented recordings involving cannabidiol remain limited to 35 healthy participants across two studies.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study gave 27 healthy volunteers a single oral dose of cannabidiol or placebo and recorded eight hours of polysomnography. No sleep measure changed significantly, and the authors concluded that cannabidiol did not alter the normal sleep architecture of healthy people. ^[1]

The trial tracked four main endpoints: sleep onset latency, total sleep duration, nocturnal wakefulness, and the distribution of sleep across non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement stages. Because the participants were healthy individuals without baseline sleep complaints, the scope for measurable change was naturally restricted.

Observational findings and combination trials

The only other human trial utilising overnight instrumentation evaluated a combined formulation rather than cannabidiol in isolation. In a placebo-controlled study of eight healthy volunteers, cannabidiol given with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol was associated with more wakefulness during the night and less stage-three sleep than placebo, which the authors described as an alerting property. ^[2] Because both compounds were co-administered, the outcome cannot be attributed to cannabidiol alone.

CIBDOL · Observational findings and combination trials

Subjective questionnaires provide a different type of data but lack experimental controls. One clinical report often mentioned in this context is a 2019 case series from a psychiatric practice in which most participants recorded better scores on a sleep questionnaire after one month. It had no control group, no randomisation and no objective sleep recording, so it cannot show cause. ^[4]

The first published human work on cannabidiol and sleep, in 1981, reported longer self-reported sleep duration in a small group given high oral doses over several nights. It was a small, early study without polysomnography. ^[3]

A 2020 systematic review of cannabinoid studies covering sleep found that the human evidence rested on small samples, varied widely in design and dose, and did not support conclusions about cannabidiol and sleep outcomes. ^[5]

European Union regulatory status

Commercial presentations often differ from what regulatory bodies authorise. No health claim about cannabidiol and sleep is authorised in the European Union. The register of permitted claims under Regulation (EC) 1924/2006, consolidated in Regulation (EU) 432/2012, contains no entry for cannabidiol. ^[6]

In the European Union, cannabidiol extracts for oral use are treated as a novel food, which means they require authorisation before they can be sold as food and are assessed for safety rather than for effect.

Cannabinol is a different cannabinoid with its own evidence base, including a 2026 randomised crossover trial. It is covered in the cannabinol article, not here. ^[7]

Formulations across the Cibdol range

Cibdol sells CBD Oil in six strengths and CBD Capsules in six strengths, alongside CBD Gummies. The Cibdol evening range is four products: Fall Asleep Liquid, Fall Asleep Capsules, Stay Asleep Capsules and Complete Sleep. CBN Oil 5% + CBD 2.5% sits in the CBN range.

CIBDOL · Formulations across the Cibdol range

Complete Sleep is a liquid whose listed ingredients are MCT oil, hemp extract containing CBN and CBD, chamomile extract and lavender extract. Stay Asleep Capsules contain no melatonin. The listed ingredients are CBD, CBN, hops extract and griffonia extract.

Every Cibdol batch is analysed by an independent laboratory and the certificate is published. This article describes published research and does not give medical advice.