How to Find Your Ideal CBD Dose For Sleep, According to the Experts

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Key Takeaways:

• CBD dosing is highly individualized, and you’ll likely need a bigger dose if you weigh more, have higher tolerance or have more severe issues.
• As a general guide, it’s best to start with 10 to 25 mg CBD per day, 30 to 60 minutes before bed and increase gradually from there.
• Tinctures and oils take effect more quickly, and evidence suggests full-spectrum CBD is better for sleep issues.

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Dosing with CBD isn’t like dosing most other treatments for sleep. If you’re searching for the best CBD dosage for sleep, you’ll find people recommending everything from 10 mg right through to hundreds of mg.

The problem is three-fold:

1. People have different responses to CBD
2. There isn’t much consistency in the doses used in studies
3. There is evidence of a biphasic effect, where smaller doses of CBD can actually be alerting

Navigating these often-contradictory and sometimes unclear suggestions can be difficult, so we’ve looked through the evidence on CBD and sleep and spoken to experts to find out how to get the right dosage for your needs.

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How Individual Variation Makes Choosing a CBD Dose Difficult

The most important thing to remember when you’re trying to find the right dosage of CBD for any purpose is that the right dose for me is likely different to the right dose for you.

Individual responses vary considerably, and finding the right amount will involve some trial and error.

We spoke to Dr. Bonni Goldstein, founder/CEO of Goldstein Wellness and author of Cannabis is Medicine, who emphasized exactly this point, “CBD dosing is highly individualized, influenced by various factors, and requires careful customization—there is no one-size-fits-all approach.”

Dr. Goldstein explained:

Individual variations in response due to the patient’s baseline physiology must be recognized, as we all have different absorption and metabolism of cannabinoids. The only way to know a person’s response to CBD is to try different doses (low, medium and high), different methods (sublingual, ingested, inhaled) and different formulations. It can be daunting, but working with a knowledgeable cannabis clinician can be extremely helpful when trying to find what works best.

There are some basic points you can use as a guideline, though:

• Weight: If you’re bigger, you need more to feel an effect. Dosages are often listed as mg/kg body weight for this reason. If I weigh 25% more than you, I probably need 25% more CBD.
• Tolerance: If you have experience with CBD or cannabis, you’ll likely have a rough idea of your level of tolerance. If you’re sensitive to the effects of CBD, it’s likely that a lower dose will be effective.
• Severity of the issue: This is a little tough to judge sometimes, but if you only have mild issues with sleep, smaller doses are more likely to be enough. If your problem is more severe, it’s likely worth trying higher doses.

General Guidelines for Dosing CBD for Insomnia

Although it’s important to keep in mind the limitations discussed above, there are some general guidelines that can be a helpful jumping-off point if you want to use CBD for sleep issues.

We spoke to Sherri Mack, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Holistic Caring & the Green Nurse and Bloom Hemp CBD, who stressed the individual nature of CBD dosing, and pointed to the sleep questionnaire they use at Holistic Caring prior to offering any dosing advice. However, she also offered some general advice:

“The ‘start low and go slow’ approach to CBD allows for personalized dosing, minimizing adverse effects, and some clinical case reports support moderate doses (25-100 mg) for improving sleep.”

However, it’s important to remember that dosing needs to be tailored to the individual. Looking through the studies included in a systematic review of studies on CBD and insomnia reveals dosages ranging from 2.5 mg of CBD and 2.7 mg of THC right up to 800 mg of CBD with positive results for some patients.

With this in mind, we suggest:

• Start low and go slow: This is the golden rule for CBD dosing, and it applies well to cases of insomnia. Starting with a dose between 10 to 25 mg was suggested by Sherri Mack and matches the research well. However, it’s likely you’ll need to increase this, and you can do so in increments of 5 to 10 additional mg per day. 
• Expect some trial and error: It’s likely that the initial dose will be ineffective, but it’s important to bump up the dose and stick with it.  
• Full spectrum is better: The evidence suggests that THC is more effective for insomnia than CBD alone, and full spectrum CBD products may offer the best of both worlds, along with sleep-promoting terpenes like myrcene and linalool.
• Keep a sleep journal: Keeping a journal of how much CBD you take and how well you sleep each night is crucial to tracking your progress and finding out what works and what doesn’t.

Think About Consistency and Convenience in Dosing

Finally, how you dose is also important.

Generally, products intended for people struggling to sleep either come in the form of gummies and capsules or tinctures and oils.

• Tinctures and oils: Oils and tinctures taken sublingually (under the tongue) take action more quickly and allow for more precise dosing.
• Gummies and capsules: These are more convenient and much simpler to take, but it will take longer to feel the effects because they have to be digested first.

You should also establish consistent habits to help support a regular sleep-wake cycle.

In particular, you should take your dose of CBD at the same time each night, about 30 to 60 minutes before you go to bed (earlier is better if you’re using capsules or gummies). Routine is crucial in establishing healthy sleeping habits.

Cannabis Coaches to Consult to Find Your Ideal CBD Dosage

Since CBD dosing is so heavily individualized, it can help to consult with a cannabis coach or health professional to find your ideal dose. There are lots of options out there, but some of our favorites are: 

• Dr. Abe
• Eloise Theisen, MSN, NP/Radicle Health
• Holistic Caring & the Green Nurse
• Joelle Rabion, MS, HHC, AADP
• Michelle Crawford/Canna-Curious Coaching

Dosing Isn’t “One Size Fits All” But Guidelines Keep You on Track

It can be a little frustrating trying a new treatment but having very little in the way of concrete advice for dosage.

However, the general guidelines given here will help you move towards the most effective dose for your needs over time. The more you experiment and evaluate your progress, the quicker you’ll hit on the right approach for your needs.