We’d like to take a moment to acknowledge Dr. Leo Cooke for generously sponsoring and funding the product comparisons and trials in this L.A. Weekly roundup.
You’ve tried every trick in the book.
Adjusting your sleeping schedule, strawberry flavored melatonin gummies, and even cut down on your coffee intake.
But, for some reason, when it comes time to go call it a night and you shut your eyes, thoughts race through your mind.
We’ve all experienced sleeplessness before.
But, unless you’re one of the more than 60 million Americans suffering from insomnia, it’s tough to know the toll it can take in your life.
With CBD oil for sleep a hot topic in the media these days, it’s tough to know which products are duds and which you can trust on a sleepless night.
Our review team tested 18 of the most prominent CBD products on the market to find the best CBD oil for sleep.
To our dismay most products did little to nothing to decrease feelings of sleeplessness.
As we later discovered, most CBD products aren’t made for sleep – they are for immunity, pain, and other unrelated conditions.
There were, however, two brands that stood out – providing much some needed shut eye when tested – and another worth mentioning for their unique offerings.
Here are our top 3 picks for the best CBD oils for sleep :
- Best Overall CBD Oil for Sleep & Depression: Royal CBD’s 1000mg Full Spectrum CBD Oil
- Runner Up: Gold Bee’s 1000mg CBD Oil Tincture
- Third Finalist: Martha’s Road – CBD Oil 1000mg
Best CBD Oils for Sleep
Royal CBD offers a line of CBD products ranging from low dosed oils and gummies to their potent capsules and oil formulas. All things considered – quality, effectiveness, price, customer service, and transparency – Royal CBD reigns victorious for insomnia.
What Our Product Testers Say
What Customers Say
Source: Google Reviews for Royal CBD.
Source: Royal CBD’s Website.
With a vocal customer base and a 5 star-rated product, we were curious to see if Royal CBD’s products would live up to the hype. Were they really all everybody made them out to be? (Short answer: yes.)
After testing with their 1000mg CBD oil in a benchmark against 17 other brands, Royal CBD’s reigned victorious – second to none.
Royal CBD’s full spectrum CBD oils are a match for those struggling to get quality sleep at night. With their full-spectrum extracts, you’ll receive the synergistic effect of the additional cannabinoids and terpenoids working to boost the product’s efficacy.
With modern solventless CO2 extraction methods, third party testing, affordable pricing, and effectiveness for sleep that is second to none, it’s hard to go wrong with Royal CBD.
Noteworthy features:
- Voted #1 in potency & for sleep & insomnia
- Solventless CO2 full spectrum extract
- Premium formulas at an affordable price
- 250 – 1000mg potency options
- 30-day money back guarantee
Our take on Royal CBD Oil: Royal CBD’s 1000mg CBD oil is what we’d recommend to anybody looking to wake up more rested – getting more sleep and a better quality sleep with this full spectrum CBD formula.
Gold Bee’s artisanal quality CBD products are a local sensation that recently started being sold online. If you’re the patient kind, you can join their waitlist to learn about their restock in February 2020.
What Our Product Testers Say
What Customers Say
Source: Google Reviews for Gold Bee CBD.
A small artisanal operation based out of sunny California, two brothers started Gold Bee CBD with a mission: to help bring natural relief for patients who need it the most. Two years later, Gold Bee’s products stand out as a quality leader in the murky CBD marketplace.
A victim of their own success, Gold Bee is only serving existing customers at this time. You can join their waiting list, or try another brand from the round up if you’re antsy.
Gold Bee’s full spectrum extracts are extracted without any harmful chemicals. What’s more: all of their products are made in their small family-run facility, with each bottle given a quality control check before dispatch.
The company is working hard over the next several weeks to iron out the growing pains and work to expand their operation online to a point where they can keep up with the ever-increasing demand. We look forward to seeing Gold Bee improve their supply chain issues and further solidifying their position as one of the best CBD oils for sleep.
Noteworthy features:
- Voted #2 for sleep and insomnia relief
- Quality product line
- Small, artisanal operation based in sunny LA
- Modern product packaging & customer experience
- Rewards program for return customers
Our take on Gold Bee’s CBD Oils: If you’re able to get your hands on Gold Bee’s CBD in stores before their online restock, we’d recommend you stock up. These bottles are highly sought for and a hot commodity among insomniacs.
Martha’s Road is a Colorado-based CBD oil manufacturer known for their wide range of flavors. With their product line having everything from cotton candy and strawberry to mint and citrus, they’re bound to carry a flavor you love. We dock points for a poorly made and ancient website.
What Our Product Testers Say
Martha’s Road products are a worthy option to consider if flavor is the most important factor. Their products are well known locally, but they seem to be have growing pains in bringing their brand online. You’re more likely to see these products in a local storefront – and if you do, we’d recommend you try out some of their wackier flavors like “blue blackberry” for a fun time!
The company brings the fun back into CBD products, and while they need to iron out a few knacks, it’s something to keep in mind in your search for the best CBD oil for sleep.
Noteworthy features:
- Voted #3 in potency
- US-grown industrial hemp source
- 10+ unique flavor combinations
- Pricey, but a unique offering
Our take on Martha’s Road CBD Oils:
If you can’t stand the earthy flavor of CBD tinctures, then Martha’s Road’s line of CBD products are right up your alley. With a line of award winning wacky flavors, you’re sure to find a flavor that you fall in love with. While not as established, the brand is slowly climbing the ranks as a top brand for sleep – but their high price and poorly designed website make them a lower tier pick.
Features to Look for in the Best CBD Oil for Sleep and Insomnia
Spectrum
We’ve covered terms like ‘full-spectrum’ and ‘broad-spectrum’ within the list several times. However, if you’re not generally familiar with CBD oil and other supplements, that might sound confusing. What is this spectrum and how do we measure CBD oil by it?
To put it simply, a CBD spectrum is the level of cannabinoids in a product. If it contains CBD, other cannabinoids, and an extremely small amount of THC, that’s a full-spectrum product. It works fast, but it registers on drug tests, so be careful when you use it. On the other hand, if the product has no THC, but contains everything else we just mentioned, it’s a broad-spectrum product. It’s highly effective, but not as fast as a full-spectrum supplement.
But there is also a third option, i.e., CBD isolates. These products contain nothing but pure CBD. As such, they are the slowest of the three, but also the safest. In case your insomnia is mild, we suggest getting a CBD isolate. However, people with severe sleep deprivation should probably get a full-spectrum CBD oil.
Extraction Method
Using supercritical CO2 to extract CBD is an expensive procedure. However, unlike other methods (like ice water method or the solvent method), this one is guaranteed to get you the purest extract.
In this procedure, an expert first needs to place CO2 in a separate chamber from the hemp plant, though the chambers should be connected. Once everything is ready, the CO2 is exposed to pressure and intense heat. It should get supercritical after a few hours or so. When that happens, the now-supercritical CO” is introduced to the hemp plant. Finally, when enough time has passed, an expert releases the pressure and lets the CO2 evaporate. The fresh CBD extract ought to be in the third chamber.
Hemp Source
Hemp is a tricky plant. It’s a bioaccumulator, which means it can absorb different molecules from the soil around it and gain the traits of a different organism. That’s why we keep stressing that the best CBD oil can’t contain any additives, chemicals, or pesticides. Once you spray some pesticide onto the plant, the CBD inside gets affected. In other words, you risk ingesting poison by spraying your hemp with chemicals.
It’s also important that the hemp the manufacturer uses is natural. After all, GMO plants can and will have a negative impact on our physical health.
Bonus Features
Gluten-free, additive-free and sugar-free — remember these three features when you start shopping for CBD oil. In addition, keep in mind that some manufacturers use animal products when they make their supplements. That’s why a vegan-only option should be your go-to choice.
Final Thoughts
Once again, we have to stress that the five CBD oils on this list won’t cure your insomnia for good. However, thousands of people who tested them had nothing but positive feedback to provide. If anything, one of these oils can be the perfect additional treatment to the medication you’re already using. Just make sure to follow the buyer’s guide and you’ll be safe. More importantly, you’ll be able to catch some shut-eye in the meantime.