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You’re already taking CBD oil. And it probably helped.
Less anxiety at bedtime. Fewer racing thoughts spinning through your head. You fall asleep faster than you used to—that’s real progress, and it’s what CBD does well.
But here’s what I hear from customers every single week:
“I fall asleep fine, Brian. Then I’m wide awake at 3am staring at the ceiling.”
Or: “I get to sleep, but I wake up feeling like I barely slept at all.”
Or the one that’s maybe most honest: “It’s better than it was. But I’ve just… accepted this is how I sleep now.”
You’ve adapted to broken sleep. Not the worst sleep you ever had—CBD fixed that part. But not good sleep either. Not the kind where you wake up before your alarm and actually feel ready for the day.
Somewhere between “this is awful” and “this is fine,” you settled.
Why I Started Looking Beyond CBD on Its Own
I know this pattern because my partner Shannon and I did the same thing.
Our 10% CBD + Reishi oil worked. We said it worked. We meant it. For over a year, that was enough—or at least we told ourselves it was enough.
Until we tested something different and realised “works” and “works properly” are not the same thing at all.
There’s a specific reason CBD may help you fall asleep but doesn’t necessarily keep you asleep through the night. It’s not a flaw in the product. It’s a limitation of the mechanism—of what CBD actually does in your system, and what it doesn’t do.
What CBD Does (and Doesn’t Do) for Sleep
CBD interacts primarily with your endocannabinoid system, which research suggests plays a role in regulating stress response, anxiety levels, and the ability to wind down mentally before sleep.
That’s why many people find CBD helpful for falling asleep. It may support a calmer mental state, reduce the kind of persistent worry that keeps you alert, and make it easier to drift off in the first place.
But sleep isn’t just about starting the process. It’s about cycling through stages properly—light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep—and staying in those cycles long enough for your body and brain to do the repair work they need to do.
CBD on its own doesn’t appear to have a strong direct effect on sleep architecture or on maintaining those deeper sleep stages throughout the night. It helps with the “getting there” part, not necessarily the “staying there” part.
That’s the gap. And it’s why so many people experience exactly what you might be experiencing: better initial sleep onset, but still waking during the night or feeling unrefreshed in the morning.
The Cannabinoid That Research Links to Sleep Maintenance
There’s another cannabinoid that works differently. It’s called CBN—cannabinol.
CBN is a minor cannabinoid that forms naturally as THC ages and breaks down. It’s non-intoxicating, legal in Ireland as a food supplement, and emerging research suggests it may interact with the body’s systems in ways that support not just sleep onset, but sleep duration and quality.
Some early studies indicate that CBN may have mild sedative properties, though the research is still developing. What we do know is that many people who use CBN-rich formulations report fewer mid-night wakings and a more restorative feeling upon waking.
It’s not a sleeping pill. It’s not a pharmaceutical sedative. But the anecdotal reports—and the preliminary science—are compelling enough that Shannon and I decided to reformulate our own evening routine around it.
And the difference was immediate. Not subtle. Not placebo. We both slept through the night in a way we hadn’t in years.
What “Good Sleep” Actually Feels Like Again
I don’t want to oversell this. Everyone’s sleep challenges are different. Hormones, stress, lifestyle, underlying health conditions—they all play a role, and no single supplement is a magic solution for everyone.
But if your specific issue is that CBD helps you fall asleep but you’re still waking too early, or waking frequently, or feeling groggy and unrested despite being “asleep” for seven or eight hours… then the issue might not be that CBD isn’t working.
It might be that CBD is doing its job—calming your nervous system, easing you into sleep—but you need additional support to stay asleep and cycle through the deeper stages your body actually needs.
That’s where CBN may help. Not instead of CBD, but alongside it. Two cannabinoids working on two different parts of the sleep puzzle.
If You’ve Accepted “Good Enough” Sleep
Here’s the thing I wish someone had told me a year ago: you don’t have to accept “better than it was” as the ceiling.
If you’re reading this and thinking “actually, I sleep fine now”—brilliant. Genuinely. Keep doing what’s working.
But if you just felt a small flicker of recognition when I described waking at 3am, or feeling like your sleep is functional but not restorative… then it’s worth asking whether the gap between “this helps” and “this actually works properly” is bigger than you realised.
Because once you experience what genuinely restorative sleep feels like—waking naturally, feeling clear-headed, not needing to drag yourself through the first two hours of the day—it’s very hard to go back to calling broken sleep “good enough.”
I’m Brian Cusack, founder of Dr. Hemp Me and a studying naturopath. We’re an Irish CBD company, and we formulate our products based on what the research suggests and what we’ve tested ourselves. If you have questions about CBD, CBN, or sleep support, you’re always welcome to reach out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CBN the same as CBD?
No. CBN (cannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) are both cannabinoids found in hemp, but they interact with your body’s systems differently. Research suggests CBD may support calm and help with falling asleep, while CBN appears to have properties that may help with staying asleep and sleep quality.
Is CBN legal in Ireland?
Yes. CBN is classified as a food supplement in Ireland, just like CBD. It contains no THC (or only trace amounts within legal limits) and is non-intoxicating.
Can I take CBN if I’m already taking CBD?
Many people use both together. In fact, some research suggests cannabinoids may work better in combination—often called the “entourage effect.” That said, if you’re on any medications or have underlying health conditions, it’s always worth checking with your GP before adding a new supplement.
Will CBN make me groggy in the morning?
Most people report feeling more refreshed, not groggier, because they’re getting better-quality sleep. CBN is not a sedative in the pharmaceutical sense—it may support natural sleep cycles rather than forcing unconsciousness. However, everyone responds differently, so it’s worth starting with a lower dose and adjusting based on how you feel.
