Struggling to Sleep? How CBD + CBN May Help Restore Your Sleep.
Sleep should be the simplest part of the day. For many people, it has become the hardest. Long work hours, stress, late-night screens, and poor routines all play a role, but the story behind widespread insomnia runs deeper than lifestyle. According to Dr. Dorninger, clinician and Director of Research and Development at Blue Sky CBD, the real cause of disrupted sleep is physiological and often overlooked.
In a recent conversation on City Cast Denver, he explained what healthy sleep is supposed to accomplish, why so many adults now wake up exhausted, and how CBD and CBN may help stabilize the body so it can repair itself overnight.
What Healthy Sleep Is Designed To Do
Even the most ordinary day places a heavy load on the body. Air pollution, emotional stress, poor food choices, long periods of sitting, missed workouts, hard workouts, and normal hormone metabolism all generate inflammation. By evening, most people are full of inflammatory cytokines.
Healthy sleep is meant to clean all of that up. Once you fall asleep, your brain releases melatonin and restorative growth hormones. These signals help your body:
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Reduce inflammation
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Repair damaged cells
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Regulate cortisol
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Rebuild energy reserves
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Strengthen cognitive function
Sleep is not passive; it is a nightly repair cycle. When that cycle is cut short, everything suffers. Yet millions of people now struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or reach the deep stages required for genuine recovery.
Why Adults Wake Up During the Night More Than Ever
Stress and screens contribute, but Dr. Dorninger highlights two dominant drivers that rarely get the attention they deserve: unstable oxygen and unstable blood sugar.
Low Oxygen Interrupts Deep Sleep
Mild sleep apnea is extremely common in the United States and is often under-diagnosed. Even slight reductions in airflow can lower oxygen enough to trigger a stress response. When the brain senses reduced oxygen, it reacts as if something is wrong. Cortisol and adrenaline spike, and the internal repair process stops. People often wake suddenly, unsure why their heart is pounding.This can happen without loud snoring or obvious signs of apnea.
Blood Sugar Instability Wakes the Brain
Late-night wine, sugary snacks, processed foods, or even a day of unbalanced meals can cause blood sugar to crash during the night. When glucose drops too far, the brain becomes alarmed and forces the body awake. According to Dr. Dorninger, consistent sleep relies on two major physiological anchors:
Stable oxygen and stable fuel.
Without both, the brain remains on alert rather than entering full restoration mode.
How CBD and CBN May Support Better Sleep
Dr. Dorninger makes an important distinction: The research he references is based on cannabidiol isolate. It is not based on full spectrum hemp, THC, or cannabis blends.
CBD: Calm, Clarity, and Reduced Inflammation
CBD isolate creates a sense of calm, focus, and clarity that helps the body transition out of the stress of daytime. Because inflammation is one of the main obstacles to deep sleep, CBD sets the foundation for recovery.
Blue Sky CBD Original Gels contain 30 milligrams of pure CBD isolate.
CBN: The Brain’s “Let Go” Signal
CBN helps the mind disengage from the day. It encourages the shift toward GABA, a neurotransmitter associated with relaxation and mental quiet. People often describe it as the feeling of the mind finally slowing down.
Why CBD and CBN differ from THC or alcohol
Wine and THC can help people fall asleep, but both can destabilize blood sugar and wake them up at three in the morning. CBD and CBN work without those effects, which is one reason many users report more consistent nights.
What New Users Should Know Before Trying CBD or CBN for Sleep
Dr. Dorninger treats patients daily, and his guidance is shaped by real outcomes rather than theory.
1. Some feel the difference the first night, others after two weeks
Many people notice deeper sleep right away, but the full effect can take up to fourteen days.
2. If one gel is not enough by night two or three, try two
Increasing from one Sleep Gel to two is common. The gentle rise in CBD and CBN often helps the nervous system settle into a steady rhythm.
3. If you wake up at two or three in the morning, you can take another gel
A single additional gel is safe for most people and often helps them fall back into restorative sleep. Dr. Dorninger recommends keeping a packet and a small pair of scissors by the bed for easy access.
People who track their sleep with devices like Oura Rings, Fitbits, and Apple Watches often see improvements in deep and REM sleep within the first two weeks.
The Bottom Line
Real sleep does not simply happen. The body has to feel safe and stable enough to complete its nightly repair cycle. In modern life, that requires more support than it once did.
CBD and CBN offer a zero THC, research supported way to calm inflammation, steady the nervous system, and encourage deeper rest. For many people, the difference appears not only in how they feel the next morning but also in their wearable sleep data.
As Dr. Dorninger puts it, healthy sleep is how your body rejuvenates the cells that were damaged during a long day. Restoring that essential process may be one of the most important steps in long term health.
