What Are CBN Gummies and What Do They Do? [A Comprehensive Guide]
CBN gummies are becoming a popular before-bed supplement that promises to help with your sleep quality and night pains. Is that all cannabis industry hype? Or is there a good reason that CBD brands are diversifying their lineups with this new cannabinoid?
In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about CBN gummies.
What Are CBN Gummies?
CBN gummies are gummies infused with the cannabinol (CBN) cannabinoid. Full-spectrum CBN gummies do contain additional cannabinoids like CBD and THC. CBN gummies made with CBN isolate won’t contain any other cannabinoids.
You can figure out which yours are by looking at third-party certificates of analysis. These lab documents will show you if your gummies contain any additional cannabinoids and if they contain the advertised amount of CBN.
Certificates of analysis can be a little confusing at first glance— learn how to read them.
What Do CBN Gummies Do?
CBN is a still relatively new cannabinoid, but there are a few studies that suggest taking CBN gummies may help with:
How Do You Take CBN Gummies To Sleep?
As with any supplement, you’ll want to give your CBN gummies some time to take effect. After taking a CBN gummy, the average user can expect to feel an effect within 30 to 120 minutes— in line with what we know about other cannabinoid-infused foods.
If you’re supplementing CBN for sleep, try to take your gummy at least one hour before your desired bedtime.
A word of caution: don’t take your CBN gummies, wait 10 minutes, and take another. This is especially true for CBN products that are also infused with melatonin. Taking too much melatonin can actually make you restless rather than helping you get to sleep.
Will CBN Gummies Change How I Sleep?
Taking CBN gummies, especially those formulated to also contain CBD, will likely not change how you sleep. For instance, you can’t expect to take CBN gummies, sleep for five hours, and expect to wake up feeling refreshed. You should still try and sleep for a recommended 7 to 8 hours every night.
As a naturally-occurring substance, CBN is gentle, so taking CBN gummies won’t knock you into a semi-coma for a portion of the night. CBN gummies are designed to relax you mentally and physically, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.
Will CBN Gummies Make You Groggy In The Morning?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. Your grogginess after taking CBN gummies will depend on your dosage, how long before bed you took them, if they are full-spectrum or not, and other factors unique to you.
Our recommendation is to start slow and work your dosage up gradually as needed. One of the benefits of CBN gummies is their consistent dosing. If you’re noticing that one gummy an hour before bed is making you groggy the next morning, try taking one-half of a CBN gummy 90 minutes before bed and see how that makes you feel. Dosing your CBN gummies is all about finding your sweet spot.
We will say that we do not recommend taking CBN gummies during the day, especially if they contain CBD. More often than not, gummies containing both CBN and CBD are formulated to help users with sleep issues with drowsiness being the desired effect. Taking a product designed to help you get to sleep during the day could lead to daytime grogginess.
Do CBN Gummies Make You Hungry?
In other words: Will taking CBN gummies give you the munchies?
There is evidence to suggest that CBN acts as an effective appetite stimulant. If the question is: will taking CBN gummies before bed compel you to raid the fridge in the middle of the night? Probably not.
Can You Take Melatonin With CBN?
Sunset Lake CBD’s Sleep Gummies combine both CBD and CBN with the sleep aid, melatonin. While studies into CBN are still in their infancy, there is no research as of this writing to suggest that mixing CBN with melatonin is in any way harmful or counterproductive.
What is CBN?
CBN, short for cannabinol, is one of the more than 100 naturally occurring chemicals— cannabinoids— that are produced by the cannabis plant.
CBN is more of a unique cannabinoid than most though, mainly because it’s a by-product of delta-9 THC oxidation.
What’s the Difference Between CBN and CBD?
CBN is similar to CBD, but they are different cannabinoids. While both are thought to help manage sleep and pain, the main differences between CBN and CBD include:
How CBN and CBD Interact With Your Body
CBN and CBD interact with your body’s native endocannabinoid system, but they do it differently. While CBN binds, albeit weakly, with our endocannabinoid system’s CB1 receptors, CBD doesn’t bind with any of your CB receptors. Instead, it’s believed that CBD protects and facilitates the binding of other beneficial endo- and phytocannabinoids.
Where the Cannabinoids Come From
CBN comes from the breakdown of THC through a process called THC oxidation wherein THC is exposed to heat, light, and air it breaks down into CBN.
CBD and CBDa (CBD’s acidic precursor molecule) are produced by a maturing hemp plant via a process called cannabigerol synthase. In other words, CBD is ready out of the box, while CBN takes more time.
Some CBD Medications are FDA-Approved
CBN research is still very much in its infancy. Even though it was technically the first-ever cannabinoid to be isolated in a lab setting, don’t expect any major research on CBN to come out for the next few years.
There has been at least one CBD-derived medication that’s been approved by the FDA for use in humans. Epidiolex is supposed to help manage seizures in patients with very rare forms of epilepsy.
CBN Gummies: Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Mix CBN and CBD Gummies?
Yes, you can mix CBN and CBD gummies. Doing so may enhance your desired effects via something called the “entourage effect.”
This is when you take multiple cannabinoids, a spectrum for those familiar with broad and full-spectrum CBD products, to make the cannabinoids work better together. The theory is that the more than 100+ cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant are supposed to be consumed together and are more effective than when you consume one at a time.
Can You Mix CBN With Other Supplements?
While this will depend on the other supplement more than the CBN gummies, cannabinoids have a generally safe toxicity profile and mix well with other substances. This statement doesn’t apply to prescription drugs though. Consult a doctor if you plan on using CBN gummies in conjunction with your prescriptions.
Related: What Are Functional Mushroom Gummies?
What Does CBN Stand For?
We get this question quite a bit. CBN is an abbreviation for cannabinol. Canna-Bi-Nol.
The same naming scheme is used for other cannabinoids, too, like THC (Tetra-Hydra-Cannabinol) and CBD (Canna-Bi-Diol).
Are There Any Side Effects?
As of this writing, there aren’t any known side effects to using CBN gummies that we know of. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any.
If we extrapolate side effects based on what we know about CBD, we might make an educated guess that misuse of CBN gummies may cause:
- Changes in appetite
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Upset Stomach
Are CBN Gummies Habit-Forming?
CBN, as of this writing, has no known addictive properties making it a gentle and natural nighttime supplement.
On-and-off CBN consumption before bed can lead to inconsistent sleep patterns though.
Will They Interact With My Medications?
CBN is known to interact with certain medications. You should talk to your pharmacist before adding any cannabinoids to your nighttime routine.
How Many Should I Take?
That depends on the strength of the gummy and your tolerance. Always read your product labels and your certificates of analysis.
We here at Sunset Lake CBD recommend starting with a low dose and adjusting your dosage as needed.
Will They Show Up On a Drug Test?
CBN, like CBD, does not contain any THC and should not show up on a drug test.
However, your CBN product may be considered “full-spectrum” and may contain trace amounts of THC which, if you ingest it, could register on your standard urine-analysis drug test.
Read more: Does CBD show up on drug tests?
Are They Legal?
Yes, CBN gummies are legal, but only if the CBN is derived from hemp plants that contain less than 0.3% of delta-9 THC, otherwise they would be considered a recreational marijuana product.
The Wrapup
CBN gummies do offer an exciting and tasty option for folks looking to potentially improve the quality and quantity of their sleep. Before you buy, be sure that you’re doing some research into the quality of the product and the company that you’re purchasing CBN from. Always ask for test results!