Tired, stressed, or just having trouble sleeping? Terpenes play a vital role in the endocannabinoid system which helps regulate our sleep cycles. But which terpenes are good for sleep? Here's everything you need to know to help you get the best night's sleep with terpenes.
How terpenes help us sleep
Just like cannabinoids, terpenes interact with the ECS, or the endocannabinoid system, and help regulate a multitude of functions. When terpenes interact with the ECS they help to regulate body temperature, immune function, sleep, pain, appetite, and many other bodily functions. Since terpenes can also bind to the receptors in the ECS, they can help modulate our moods.
Some terpenes are better at certain effects than others, though. While some terpenes are energetic, some are more sedative. Sedative terpenes can help you fall asleep and stay asleep. They're also pretty good for anxiety, stress, and even depression.
What terpenes are good for sleep?
The best terpenes for a good night's sleep are found in many popular indica strains. However, if cannabis isn't your forte, you can still use plant-derived terpenes to help you feel more relaxed and sleepy without the high. If you're looking at terpenes for sleep, try these top 5 terpenes for sleep.
Myrcene — Myrcene is the most abundant terpene found in cannabis, though you can also find it in fruits like mangoes and other herbs. It has an earthy, fruity, and slightly metallic scent that promotes anxiety-reducing and stress-relieving effects. However, studies have also found it to be a sedative that can help you fall and stay asleep.
Beta-Caryophyllene — b-Caryophyllene is a large terpene that acts a lot like cannabinoids. Found in cannabis strains as well as black pepper, nutmeg, and star anise, It has a warm, spicy aroma that helps with rest, relaxation, and stress relief. It's also a potent sedative that can help you get a good night's rest, especially when taken with other sleepy terpenes found on this list.
Linalool — Linalool is a delicate floral terpene found most abundantly in lavender, though it can also be found in cannabis. It has a very calming and relaxing scent and is best known for its nervous system targeting that quickly blasts away stress and anxiety. It also has sedative and pain-relieving properties, making it a great choice for bedtime use.
Nerolidol — Nerolidol is found in tree bark and in citrus fruits and promotes a sweet, woody scent and flavor. While it doesn't appear often in cannabis, it can be found in tea leaves, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and ginger. Nerolidol is great against stress and anxiety and has shown intense sedative properties that will leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed, and ready for a good night's sleep.
Terpinolene — Terpinolene is found in cannabis, apples, lilacs, and tea leaves. It smells very light, delicate, and fresh and helps greatly with stress and anxiety. Its fresh scent is also known for having potent antioxidant and sedative properties, so it's a great choice for a fresh bedtime routine.
How to take terpenes for sleep
If you're ready to start taking terpenes for sleep, you can get these 5 best terpenes for sleep in your body with ease through aromatherapy, through food, and even through cannabis.
You can add a few drops of these terpenes to your essential oil diffusers to help you relax and get comfy before bed. Breathing in their scent can alter your mood since terpenes are mildly psychoactive.
You can also try unwinding with hot tea infused with water-soluble terpenes. Tea has many therapeutic uses on its own thanks to its naturally high concentrations of various terpenes. But if the end goal is sleep, the more the merrier! They can make your tea, water, or other foods or beverages taste and smell better while also giving you that sedative boost you need to sleep well.
Terpenes also dictate how a cannabis strain will affect you. Sedative, relaxing indica-dominant strains naturally contain higher concentrations of the terpenes we mentioned above and are more likely to give you sleepy, relaxing effects that can help you fall and stay asleep. Best of all, terpenes can easily be added to cannabis concentrates and vape cartridges for an extra sedative boost and better scents and flavors.
At the end of the day, terpenes can help you find more restful sleep. However, your bedtime routine will also play a role in how you sleep, so be sure to establish good habits before bed and compensate with terpenes when you're struggling to quiet your mind.
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