CBN & Sleep
“Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health… the single most important thing we can do to reset our brain and body each day.”
This comes from neuroscientist Mathew Walker’s best-selling book Why We Sleep. Unfortunately, more than 70 million Americans aren’t getting their restful reset, and that’s causing a lot of health problems.
Recent research reveals that a lesser-known component of cannabis may help provide a better night’s rest. It’s time to meet CBN.
What Is CBN?
The discovery of CBN, a.k.a. cannabinol, is what put the “cann” in cannabinoid. In the late 1800s, chemists at Oxford University distilled CBN from African hashish. It was the first chemical compound identified in the marijuana plant and, for many years after, it was thought to be the cause of marijuana intoxication. Full understanding of CBN’s chemical nature wouldn’t come until the 1940s, and research efforts were often hampered by the scarcity and irregularity of CBN content in many types of cannabis.
Newly harvested marijuana plants contain very little CBN. That’s because this phytocannabinoid is formed by the degradation of THC. As THC oxidizes from heat, sunlight or age, it is converted to CBN. This discovery confirmed the increasingly voiced opinion of current patients and recreational consumers that ‘old marijuana isn’t as strong as new marijuana’. The Oxford group’s initial discovery was likely made possible by the age of the hashish used in experiments. Their samples would have been brought to England by slow boat and horse cart, and may have been stored at room temperature for some time before examination. All of these factors increase CBN content.
By the mid-20th century, chemists had a better understanding of CBN, and determined that it was non-psychoactive or minimally psychoactive only at very high dosage. Further research on this sometimes elusive cannabinoid went on the back burner with the discovery of THC and CBD in the early 1960s. and the realization that CBN wasn’t the cause of marijuana’s ‘high’. For the next 50 years, the majority of cannabinoid research was devoted to the major cannabinoids, THC and CBD.
It wasn’t until the early 2020s that CBN regained the attention of the medical marijuana community as part of a new wave of research on cannabis-based sleep medicine. Before getting into the details, it’s worth taking a short detour into the mechanics of sleep, because how you sleep can be as important as how long you sleep.
Understanding Sleep
There’s a lot going on between the time you close your eyes and wake up the next day. Your body and brain go through a series of sleep cycles that provide both mental and physical restoration. Sleep science describes four stages in each cycle.
- Stage 1: A transition period as brain activity slows and muscles relax. Usually lasting for a few minutes, during which time you may be easily awakened.
- Stage 2: Usually lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. Body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- Stage 3: Deep, dreamless sleep with slow, deep-wave brain activity. This is when the body restores itself.
- Stage 4: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Brain activity increases and dreams happen. Important for maintaining memory and mental health.
Sleepers may go through half a dozen of these cycles during the night. The deep sleep cycles are usually longer earlier in the night, while REM cycles grow longer toward morning. This is why people sometimes remember dreams as they wake up. Both REM and deep sleep cycles are important to health, and a good night’s rest comes from maintaining a balanced mix of these stages.
Does CBN Help You Sleep?
Nearly half of all medical marijuana patients are hoping for better sleep, and many feel that cannabis does help get a good night’s rest. In the past, scientific verification for these beliefs was often inconclusive, and research focused primarily on the roles of THC and CBD in sleep.
The early 2020s saw renewed interest in CBN research. Among the most newsworthy findings to date comes from an Australian study published in the November 2024 edition of Neuropsychopharmacology, with the title: “A Sleepy Cannabis Constituent.”
The authors referenced previous studies confirming that CBN increased the duration of sleep, and that people generally felt they had a better night’s sleep after taking CBN extracts. They explained that theirs was the first study to use objective laboratory tests to measure CBN’s effects on brain waves and sleep cycles.
The study used laboratory mice administered varying doses of 100% CBN or a metabolized form of CBN known as 11-hydroxycannabinol, which is created as the body breaks down CBN. For comparison, the mice were later given a standard dose of the popular sleep drug Ambien (zolpidem) to compare its effects to CBN.
There’s a wealth of detailed specifics in the study, but the big takeaways are that CBN:
- Didn’t help the mice fall asleep faster, but increased total sleep time by the same amount as a standard dose of Ambien.
- Increased the time spent in deep sleep and reduced the frequency of interruptions to deep sleep.
- Significantly increased REM sleep time during later sleep cycles.
- Sleep-promoting effects were modest on day one and increased significantly over the following two weeks.
- Was well tolerated at all doses, with no indication of adverse side effects.
Another interesting finding was that 11-hydroxycannabinol, the metabolized form of CBN, produced sleep-enhancing effects faster than pure CBN. Like the THC from which it is derived, CBN influences CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain that regulate sleep. The researchers found that pure CBN has a weak ability to bind with CB1 receptors, while it’s metabolized form bound much more readily. This may explain why CBN takes a bit longer to induce sleep, because it must first be broken down by the body.
Is CBD or CBN Better for Sleep?
People turn to CBD to relieve pain, anxiety, and depression, and there is some evidence that it can help improve certain elements of sleep. It doesn’t create the sleep-inducing sedation of pharmaceuticals, but some users find that it can promote sleep by calming the mind and encouraging somnambulant relaxation.
A recent study from Holland found that CBD increased time spent in deep sleep, but could have negative effects on some aspects of memory. Lab testing on mice showed that CBD dampened neural activity known as sharp wave ripples, which is important for turning short-term memories into long-term memories. CBN does not appear to have similar effects on this process of memory consolidation.
In a study released in the fall of 2024, volunteers who suffered from poor sleep quality were given various doses of CBN or CBN + CBD. Sleep lab results showed that a 20mg dose of CBN did not help participants fall asleep quicker, but it did reduce disturbed sleep patterns and the number of times they woke up during the night. Adding CBD to the mix did not seem to provide any additional benefits.
Can CBN Replace Melatonin?
Melatonin regulates the human sleep cycle, and elevated levels of this hormone are what make us feel sleepy. Melatonin supplements are an increasingly popular alternative to sleep pharmaceuticals. They are generally effective and safe, with a small number of users reporting side effects such as headaches, upset stomachs and next-day drowsiness.
The medical community’s primary concern with melatonin is that regular use may lead to dependence. To avoid dependency issues, its generally recommended to use melatonin only on nights when falling asleep is difficult, while taking the lowest effective dose of melatonin. But dosing accuracy can be compromised by product irregularities. Because melatonin is classified as a dietary supplement rather than a medication, it faces less scrutiny. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that random samples of melatonin supplements contained anywhere from 83% less to nearly 478% more of labeled dosages.
A 2024 double-blind trial compared 25, 50, and 100 mg dosages of a hemp-derived CBN product (TruCBN) to a 4mg dose of melatonin. All three CBN dosages and the 4 mg melatonin provided significant increases in sleep quality, and the 100mg CBN doses provided the greatest level of subjectively-measured stress relief. The authors concluded that these CBN products provided a “safe and effective alternative for the improvement of sleep.”
CBN Dosages for Sleep
CBN appears to be safe and well tolerated even at higher doses. In a study from the Journal of Cannabis Research, mice were given a CBN-based sleep supplement at dosages that would be equivalent of 50 to 270 mg for a 150-pound person. After 14 days, no side effects or issue were noted, save for signs of residual fatigue at the highest dose.
A proposed human trial of patients diagnosed with an insomnia disorder will monitor sleep patterns after subjects are given either a 30mg or 300mg dose of CBN. The Australian mouse-based sleep study mentioned earlier administered intentionally elevated dosages of CBN to a human equivalent to 1,000mg or more. The authors pointed out that the effects measured in their research could not be achieved by smoking a joint of THC-dominant marijuana, which would deliver only about 3% of the CBN content used in their studies.
Many sources recommend starting with a dose of 10 to 25mg CBN, then gradually increasing dosages as needed. Another common recommendation is to take CBN supplements an hour before desired bedtime. This recommendation makes sense, as it will allow time for pure CBN to be metabolized into its more potent sleep-producing derivatives.
As with any cannabis-based medications, CannaMD recommends obtaining products from licensed and regulated sources that provide accurate content labeling. In addition, it’s best to consult with medical professionals such as the the medical marijuana doctors in the CannaMD network.
Additional Benefits of CBN
A handful of studies from the 1970s and ’80s hinted at CBN’s therapeutic potential, but there were very few follow-up studies over the next three decades. Recent research is reviving interest in CBN as a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that can replicate many of the beneficial effects of THC, while also providing additional unique healing possibilities. One of the more promising findings from recent research is CBN’s potential for neuroprotection.
Research from California’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals that CBN may protect against neurodegenerative diseases by slowing the brain aging process. In animal-based models, compounds derived from pure CBN also show potential in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. Research professor Pamela Maher, the lead author of the study, states:
Not only does CBN have neuroprotective properties, but its derivatives have the potential to become novel therapeutics for various neurological disorders.
Other recent research shows that CBN and its metabolites share many of the same therapeutic properties as cannabinoids such as CBD and CBG. Among the most promising effects are:
- Antimicrobial: CBN is one of several cannabinoids that exhibit antimicrobial effects that could help in the treatment of drug-resistant staph infections. An Australian study evaluated CBD, CBG, and CBN for the treatment of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA pneumonia is an infection that plagues hospital patients can can be difficult to treat with conventional antibiotic drugs. Of the three cannabinoids tested, CBN showed the greatest potential for combating infection.
- Antioxidant: CBN directly influences nerve cells to protect against damage and cellular death caused by reactive oxidative stress. It may also play a role in promoting cellular regeneration and maintaining metabolic function at the cellular level.
- Anti-Tumor: Recent research from Thailand showed that both CBN and THC slowed tumor growth in a very aggressive type of cancer, and that CBN administered alone provided similar levels of tumor suppression as THC. The December 2024 issue of the Molecules reported that both CBN and CBG showed promise for suppressing and eliminating leukemia cells.
- Pain Management: Collaborative research released in the summer of 2025 indicates that CBN has mild anti-inflammatory effects on brain and spinal cord tissues, while also influencing cellular calcium channels (Ca2+) associated with pain relief.
Try CBN for Sleep Problems
If you are looking for information on cannabis therapies in the state of Florida, CannaMD‘s state-certified network of medical marijuana doctors is here to answer questions and provide advice. Contact the CannaMD team at (855) 420-9170 today.
Ready to get your card and purchase legal cannabis products? You can find out if you qualify for medical marijuana treatment with our quick online application!
