As more and more people try to catch some precious zzz’s, they’ve turned to aids like sleep gummies to help them land softly on their pillows and stay there.

But as the market opens its arms to all the sleepyheads among us, there’s one important decision that people looking for sleep gummies have to answer. Are you looking for something more like melatonin or marijuana?

Cannabis and sleep: a tale as old as time

Using cannabis for sleep and relaxation is nothing new. THC has sedative effects helpful for people ready to fall asleep and helps with pain. Cannabinoids like CBD help the body with things that keep us awake at night, like stress and anxiety. It’s no surprise that as more and more edibles have come on to the market, people have put two and two together.

By exploring your tolerance for THC and CBD during bedtime, you may be able to identify sleep gummies that agree with your body, allowing you to sleep when you want and (just as important) stay asleep as long as you’d like.

Using cannabis gummies as a sleep aid

It’s good to have cannabis sleep gummies on hand for two different reasons. First, they are great for the times when you’re really ready to go to bed. If it’s been a stressful day or you need to make sure you get a good night’s sleep before a big day, having cannabis sleep gummies in your nightstand or medicine cabinet can be incredibly helpful.

Secondly, incorporating sleep gummies into your nightly routine can help you find a sleep cadence that your body can get into, thereby creating a sleep habit. And a proper sleep habit is great for avoiding sleep disorders.

You can start by implementing sleep gummies for weekend sleep. Especially if you’re practicing social distancing and not going out much anyway, it’s a relaxing way to spend the weekend.

Once you’ve done this, you can start experimenting with gummies during the work or school week. Just make sure you set your alarm and take your cannabis sleep gummies right after dinner. This will give you time to relax, settle down, and not oversleep the next morning.

Find cannabis gummies to help you sleep

As with all cannabis products, you will have to make sure that you measure your intake and only consume what works for you. It may turn out that cannabis gummies aren’t helpful for your sleep at all. In this case, please consult a medical professional.

To begin, try addressing the symptoms that keep you up at night. CBD by itself may do the trick. A product like PLUS CBD Sleep gummies with melatonin would be a great place to start. These gummies have no THC in them and are available to order online.

If you’re interested in introducing THC and the entourage effect, try an edible with a high CBD ratio. West Coast readers might enjoy Wyld 20:1 CBD-enhanced gummies, a product with a majority CBD formula, and 5% THC in each gummy to help bring balance.

If this product isn’t immediately available to you, don’t despair. Search for something else with a high CBD to THC ratio that will help you experience a similar calm.

Gummies with THC for sleep

If you’re interested in tackling pain or restless thoughts head-on when you go to bed, consider incorporating THC into your selection for gummies. While not all gummies made with indica strains will prepare you for bed, it’s often the best place to start.

Watch out for gummies made with energetic strains that might keep you awake or heighten anxiety to make sure you get the desired experience. Not all gummies are created equal, and you’ll want to find something that was specifically formulated for sleep or made with strains like 9lb Hammer, Granddaddy Purple, or pretty much any strain in the Kush family.

First-time consumers should begin by experimenting with products between 1 and 2.5 mg THC to ensure that they know how THC sleep gummies make them feel. If you want to increase your THC dose from there, start experimenting with sleep gummies with between 2.5 and 15 mg of THC in them.

Gummies like Kiva’s Camino Midnight Blueberry contain THC and CBN, which is currently under research for its ability to help with sleep – proving there’s still tons to learn about how cannabis can help us all rest easier and better.

Remember: start low and go slow when finding your preferred product to use as sleep aid, and don’t forget to journal your way through it to track your results! 

Janessa Bailey

Janessa was born and raised in the Midwest, and serves as Leafly’s current culture editor. She has a background in content, activism, and African-American Studies.