CBD’s list of potential uses is a growing source of excitement. You’ve probably heard about its supposed salutary powers already.

More studies into its potential benefits are being conducted than ever before, and there’s currently a huge array of products seeking to harness its therapeutic and medicinal properties. Consumers are now able to buy beauty products, supplements, edibles, deodorants, drinks, smokables, pet products and oils containing CBD - and the list is constantly growing. 

The latest item to be added is our CBD-infused mattress. But what is it? How does it work? And will a CBD-infused mattress really help you get a better night’s sleep?

Let’s take a quick look at what CBD is and try to understand the source of all the excitement.

What Is CBD?

Put simply, CBD (also known as cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are compounds found in the cannabis plant, and it’s believed that there are over one-hundred different types, each possessing their own unique characteristics and producing different effects on the body when consumed.

It’s important to note here that cannabis is not the same as marijuana; marijuana is a type of cannabis, but a product derived from cannabis does not necessarily come from the marijuana plant. In fact, most over-the-counter products we see in stores today use CBD that has been extracted from hemp, including the CBD isolate we use for our mattress.

By law, hemp grown in the USA is required to contain less than 0.3% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) - the cannabinoid known to induce a psychoactive ‘high’ in its users - and so hemp-derived products will not get you high.

In some states it is possible to purchase ‘full-spectrum’ products which contain a mixture of CBD and other cannabinoids (THC often among them) but most items you see today contain an isolate of CBD without other components of the cannabis plant. This pure CBD is used in the manufacture of CBD mattresses.

So if CBD doesn’t get you high, what does it do?

Research in the field of CBD has increased markedly in recent years, and the results have pointed to a huge range of diseases, medical conditions and discomforts which it could help to prevent, treat and alleviate. 

Many of these findings are still theoretical, requiring larger and longer studies in order to be scientifically proven, but the initial results are promising. And as our understanding of CBD and how it interacts with the body deepens, its list of potential applications continues to grow.

What Can CBD Do?

Various medical studies have found CBD to be a potentially effective treatment for a huge range of ailments including, but not limited to, sleep disorders, acne, cancer, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases and drug addiction:

Combat Disease

At the research stage, trials have shown it to limit the onset of some types of cancerous cells, alleviate the symptoms of other cancers, and make certain conventional cancer treatments more effective when used alongside them.

A 2018 study highlighted CBD’s ability to help patients with schizophrenia, while a 2017 journal confirmed its therapeutic potential for treating the symptoms of epilepsy. Last year, medical journal Frontiers in Pharmacology also cited its potential use in treating children with autism, having found it to reduce incidences of hyperactivity, self-harm and rage attacks.

Treat Pain

CBD also shows hope in treating a number of less severe day-to-day conditions, and some of the most promising research so far has demonstrated its efficacy in treating pain. 

One of the main ways it does this is by preserving anandamide - a molecule produced by neurons in our body. Anandamide helps to regulate our pain and inflammation levels - earning its nickname “the bliss molecule” - but breaks down quickly. Deficiencies can cause anxiety, depression and even chronic pain, but CBD binds to the proteins that cause anandamide to degrade, maintaining its presence in our body for longer.

In addition to preserving anandamide, CBD regulates endorphins - additional chemicals our body produces to combat pain and stress. Narcotics and opioid painkillers act as endorphins but reduce our body’s ability to produce them itself, hence the tendency of users to become dependent. CBD, on the other hand, helps to increase the body’s internal production of endorphins, providing a similar (though less potent) type of pain relief to high-strength pharmaceuticals without most of the drawbacks.

Alleviate Depression and Anxiety

CBD is also the subject of a growing number of studies which recognize it to be an anxiolytic agent (i.e. a substance which reduces anxiety). Others are exploring its effectiveness in reducing stress and minimizing the symptoms of depression.

More research is required, but early findings have been enough to prompt a range of CBD products aimed at alleviating the symptoms of various mental health disorders.

Help You Sleep

Though research on the way cannabis impacts sleep is still relatively new, many recent studies have signaled CBD’s effectiveness in treating a number of sleep disorders. Beyond acting as a potential treatment for insomnia, CBD also shows promise in its ability to help users develop consistent sleep patterns. One such example can be seen in a 2017 medical paper which heralded its potential in combating REM sleep behavior disorder and the excessive daytime drowsiness which it causes. 

On top of this, CBD shouldn’t cause the same residual daytime tiredness as sleep enhancers such as THC; while THC is effective at putting you to sleep, it can interfere with your body’s circadian rhythm (its 24-hour internal clock, controlled by the hypothalamus) in a way that makes it less pronounced, resulting in a tiredness the next day that will be familiar to many people who smoke marijuana. 

CBD, on the other hand, is believed to encourage the development of healthier sleep patterns, which in turn offers the best long-term route to beating sleeplessness.

Consuming CBD has many potential benefits, and companies of all kinds are finding increasingly creative ways to pass these benefits onto consumers; you can ingest it, inhale it, take it sublingually or apply it topically. And one of the latest products to emerge in this market is the CBD mattress.

What Is a CBD Mattress?

Unsurprisingly, it’s exactly as it sounds: a mattress infused with CBD so that the user comes into contact with the cannabinoid whenever they go to sleep.  

The potential to absorb CBD while sleeping is quite exciting, and is made possible by recent advances in micro-encapsulation - the process of separating CBD isolate into microscopic droplets in order to encapsulate those individual droplets within tiny membranes.

These membranes protect the droplets from contamination or oxidation and prevent them from being evaporated, allowing them to be woven into textiles. Thus, in a CBD mattress, microcapsules of CBD are infused into the top layer of fabric, where they remain dormant until friction caused by the movement of a person lying in bed makes them release CBD.

When it’s released, CBD makes contact with the skin, meaning somebody with a CBD mattress should benefit from receiving a gradual supply of CBD (and all of its wondrous properties) every time they go to bed. 

Such an invention would not be possible without the advances in micro-encapsulation technology which allow manufacturers to use CBD isolate; simply applying CBD oil to a conventional mattress instead cannot work effectively, as the heat applied when infusing foams or fabrics ‘burns away’ most of the cannabinoid’s desired properties and deprives it of any longevity. This is worth bearing in mind if you’re thinking about buying a CBD mattress yourself; if it’s not made using microcapsules of CBD isolate, you probably won’t experience any appreciable benefit from using it.

How Can a CBD Mattress Benefit You?

We’ve already discussed the benefits attributed to CBD, but the one most prominent here is its potential to aid sleep.

The American Sleep Apnea Association claims that up to 70 million Americans suffer from at least one sleep disorder. Elsewhere, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that adults who sleep less than the advised seven hours per night are both “more likely to report being obese, physically inactive, and current smokers,” and more prone to suffering from a range of chronic conditions including coronary heart disease, diabetes, depression and some cancers.

Roughly 9 million Americans use prescription medications to address sleep disorders, though sleeping pills come with a considerable list of potential side effects and should only ever be prescribed as a short-term solution.

Side effects differ depending on the medication, but can include headaches, memory loss, dizziness, daytime drowsiness, loss of coordination and depressed breathing. Many are also highly addictive and can come with withdrawal symptoms such as panic attacks, insomnia, depression, muscle tension, nausea and even seizures in people who try to wean themselves off.

In contrast, the side effects most commonly linked to CBD - tiredness, diarrhea and fluctuations in appetite and weight - are both rare and comparatively minor. There is certainly an argument for trying to naturally reset your body clock with the help of CBD before going straight for high-strength medication. 

That’s just one of many reasons to consider trying a CBD mattress. The little cannabinoid has a lot of promise - and if it lives up to half of it, sleeping in a bed of CBD every night might not just solve the problems you know about, but could alleviate issues you didn’t even know about. When it comes to CBD, the best results often come from taking it as part of a consistent routine, and nothing could make that easier than a mattress which provides your doses for you.

The CBD mattress is simple but brilliant. Give it a try with a 100-night risk-free guarantee.

 

-- Please note that CBD works for everyone differently. The ZBD Bed contains CBD isolate, which has been shown to help relieve causes and symptoms of many problems, but it is not a proven solution to any problem. The ZBD Bed is only to be sold to and used by individuals 18 and up, and like other CBD products, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should consult their doctors before using CBD.