Does CBD Help You Sleep? What the Research Says (UK)

Does CBD help you sleep? The trials at a glance

The honest answer: the science is early, and the better-controlled trials are less encouraging than the smaller, uncontrolled ones. These are the main human studies:

What this suggests: some people in some trials reported better sleep quality, but the placebo-controlled studies mostly found little or no difference, and none tested 10mg a day. CBD is not a reliable sleep aid, and no CBD product can claim to treat sleep problems.

What the reviews conclude

Reviews that pool the studies reach a similar view.

• 2020 systematic review: after looking at 12 clinical studies, researchers concluded there was not enough evidence to support routine use of cannabinoids for any sleep disorder, and that most studies had a moderate to high risk of bias.
• 2025 meta-analysis: pooling six placebo-controlled trials (1,077 people), cannabinoids as a group improved self-reported sleep quality, but CBD-only products showed no significant effect. The benefit came from formulations based on other cannabinoids. THC and CBN are both controlled drugs in the UK.

In short, the research does not yet show that CBD on its own improves sleep. Reviewers call for larger, longer trials, and we will update this guide as new results appear.

Does CBD help with insomnia?

Only two of the trials above recruited people with diagnosed insomnia. In the 2024 Australian trial, 150mg of CBD every night for two weeks made no difference to insomnia severity, time to fall asleep or night-time waking compared with placebo. The CBD group did report better wellbeing scores, and a wrist tracker showed better sleep efficiency after two weeks.

The 2025 US trial gave 300mg of CBD with a terpene mix and found a small increase in deep and REM sleep but no change in total sleep time. It was funded by a company whose researchers held shares in it.

iCBD isn’t a treatment for insomnia. The NHS says a GP will look for the cause and may offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia. See our guide to insomnia for what helps and when to get support.

Trial doses vs the FSA’s 10mg advice

The FSA advises healthy adults to have no more than 10mg of CBD a day from food, which it puts at about 4 to 5 drops of a 5% oil. The sleep trials used much more:

• 15mg a day (Saleska, 2024)
• 50mg a day (Kisiolek, 2023; Gournay, 2026)
• 150mg a night (Narayan, 2024)
• 300mg (Linares, 2018; Wang, 2025; Gournay, 2026)

So even the trials that found something tell us little about 10mg a day, and at 300mg the results were mixed: a small rise in deep and REM sleep in one trial, no significant difference from placebo in another.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

Our CBD dosage guide has a drops chart for every Evopure oil, and CBD oil strength explained covers mg and percentages.

How CBD might affect sleep

CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system and other signalling systems in the body, which researchers link to mood, anxiety, autonomic function and the sleep-wake cycle. How, or whether, that translates into better sleep is not known.

What the trials do suggest is that CBD does not act like a sedative: a single 300mg dose did not change sleep in healthy volunteers. Broad spectrum oils also contain terpenes, the aromatic compounds in plants, and some evening blends add myrcene. Read more in what are terpenes? and the entourage effect.

Does CBD make you sleepy?

Not usually. In the 2018 study, a single 300mg dose did not change sleep in healthy volunteers, and in the 2026 trial neither 50mg nor 300mg caused sedation. Drowsiness is still a possible side effect for some people, especially at higher amounts, so try it in the evening first and avoid driving if you feel drowsy. If you feel groggy the next morning, lower the amount or take it a little earlier. See what CBD feels like.

CBD vs melatonin in trials

The largest trial so far, with 1,793 adults, compared 15mg of CBD with 5mg of melatonin and with mixes containing CBN. Sleep scores improved in every group, and there was no significant difference between them. Because every group took an active product, the trial can’t show how much of the change was due to the products themselves.

In the UK, melatonin is a prescription-only medicine. See CBD vs melatonin and melatonin in the UK.

If you decide to try it: timing and routine

1. Timing: 30 to 60 minutes before bed for drops under the tongue (the 2024 insomnia trial used 60 minutes), and about an hour or more for capsules.
2. Method: hold drops under your tongue for about 60 seconds before swallowing. See how to take CBD oil.
3. With food: taking it after your evening meal helps absorption.
4. Keep a note: how long it took to fall asleep, how often you woke, and how you felt in the morning, so you can judge your routine honestly.

More on timing in when to take CBD oil. To compare spectrum, mg per drop, lab reports and the FSA public list, see our best CBD oil for sleep UK guide.

CBD with magnesium and other sleep aids

• Magnesium: the most popular partner for CBD at night. Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. See magnesium for sleep.
• Reishi: a mushroom often taken as a warm evening drink. See reishi for sleep.
• Passionflower and chamomile: traditional evening herbs, as a tea or in blends.
• Melatonin: prescription-only in the UK. See CBD vs melatonin.

Don’t stack lots of sleep aids at once. Add one thing at a time so you can tell what makes a difference.

The sleep habits that matter most

No supplement beats the basics. The ones that make the biggest difference:

• the same bedtime and wake time every day, even at weekends
• daylight in the morning and dim lights in the evening
• a cool, dark, quiet bedroom
• no caffeine after early afternoon and less alcohol, which fragments sleep
• no screens or work emails in the last hour

See our clocks go back sleep plan and natural remedies for insomnia.

Side effects, medicines and when to see a GP

CBD is usually well tolerated. Possible side effects include drowsiness, an upset stomach and changes in appetite. CBD can interact with some medicines, including some sleeping tablets, antidepressants and blood thinners, so speak to your GP or pharmacist first if you take any regular medication, especially sedatives or sleep medicines. The FSA does not recommend CBD for anyone under 18, anyone taking medication, or anyone trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding, unless under medical direction. Our products are for adults aged 18 and over. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. See CBD side effects.

The NHS advises seeing a GP if changing your sleep habits hasn’t worked, you have had trouble sleeping for months, or poor sleep is affecting your daily life. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing should also be checked, as it can be a sign of sleep apnoea.

If you take sleeping tablets or other sedating medicines, read which medicines interact with CBD first.

Related guides

• To see how the sleep evidence compares with other uses, read does CBD actually work? Benefits and side effects.
• Wondering whether the format matters at night? See CBD oil vs gummies for sleep.
• If you’ve been looking at US melatonin gummies, see Lemme Sleep in the UK first.
• For the evidence on the tea itself, and who should skip it, see our guide to chamomile tea for sleep and its side effects.
• For sleep problems linked to the menopause, see CBD oil for menopause.
• CBD also comes in skin patches; see what’s in Kloris sleep patches.