Some reasons as Why You Can't Sleep — And What Cannabinoids May Have to Do With It The Complete Guide: Brain Science, Insomnia Types, and Precision Formulatio: Part 2

By Jesse Cole Christianson, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC | cannabisdnp.com

Educational only. Not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Adult use only (21+).

Have you ever been completely exhausted — but your brain just won't shut off?

You're lying in bed. Your body is tired. But your mind is running a mile a minute. You look at the clock. It's 2 a.m. Then 3 a.m. Then 4 a.m.

Sound familiar?

Here's something most people don't know: insomnia isn't really a sleep problem. It's a brain problem.

And once you understand exactly what kind of brain problem you're dealing with — you start to understand why the solution might look very different from what you've been trying.

This guide helps to cover it all. How sleep actually works. What the peer-reviewed research says about cannabinoids and sleep. And why formulation precision — not just which cannabinoid, but how it's made — changes everything.

If you've already read Part 1 of the Dr. Murse Sleep Series ("Why You Can't Sleep: The Science of Insomnia and Your Endocannabinoid System"), this post picks up exactly where that one left off. If you're new here, you're in the right place — everything you need is right here.

Part 1: How Your Brain Manages Sleep

Your brain manages sleep through two systems working together. Discussed on the previous blog, but will recap here.

System 1: Your Internal Clock (Circadian Rhythm) This is your 24-hour timer. It responds to light and dark. When the sun goes down, your brain reads that as a signal to start winding down. When the sun comes up, it signals time to wake. Jet lag happens when this clock gets confused.

System 2: Sleep Pressure (Adenosine Buildup) While you're awake, your brain slowly builds up a chemical called adenosine. Think of it like sand filling an hourglass. The longer you're awake, the more adenosine builds — and the stronger your urge to sleep becomes. That heavy-eyed feeling you get in the afternoon? That's adenosine doing its job, caffeine interrupts that, but that is for another post.

Insomnia doesn't break either of these systems directly. Instead, it overactivates something deep in the brain called the locus coeruleus — your brain's primary alarm system. It produces a chemical called noradrenaline (different than adrenaline) — the same "stay alert" signal that wakes you up in the morning. In people with insomnia, this alarm system keeps firing at bedtime when it should be going quiet.

In research language: "The norepinephrine (same as noradrenaline) locus coeruleus system represents a promising treatment target in patients with insomnia disorder due to its well-understood links to arousal and sleep regulation."

In plain language: your brain's "wake up" alarm is stuck in the on position — and that's exactly where cannabinoids have something scientifically interesting to offer.

Part 2: Not All Insomnia Is the Same

The word "insomnia" functions as an umbrella. Clinically, it covers several distinct types — and knowing which one you have changes everything about what kind of support may be most relevant.

Research has found four main presentations in real clinical populations: sleep onset (18%), sleep maintenance (28%), mixed (25%), and paradoxical (28%). Here's what each one actually looks like.

Type 1 — Can't Fall Asleep (Sleep Onset Insomnia)

You get into bed, you're tired, and your brain simply refuses to slow down. Racing thoughts. Tossing and turning. Watching the clock. This is the locus coeruleus firing when it should be quiet — the hyperarousal system winning the fight against your sleep pressure signal.

Type 2 — Can't Stay Asleep (Sleep Maintenance Insomnia)

You fall asleep fine — but wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. and can't get back. This is the most common type in adults over 40. It's not about getting into sleep — it's about staying in it. The brain's natural "stay quiet" signals weaken as the night goes on and the arousal system creeps back in.

Type 3 — Wake Up Too Early (Early Morning Awakening Insomnia)

Your eyes open at 4 or 5 a.m. — way before you need to be up — and no amount of trying brings sleep back. This type has the strongest connection to mood and stress hormone patterns in the body. If this is your primary complaint, it's worth talking with your healthcare provider about what might be driving it beyond just sleep.

Type 4 — The Tricky One (Paradoxical Insomnia)

A person with paradoxical insomnia feels like they barely slept — but when researchers monitor their brain waves overnight, the data shows they actually slept fairly normally. The brain is genuinely misjudging its own sleep. This isn't made up and the person isn't exaggerating. It's a perception problem, not a structural sleep failure — and it responds very differently to support than the other types.

A Special Case — PTSD and Nightmare Insomnia

For people whose sleep is disrupted by PTSD-related nightmares, the insomnia mechanism is distinct. Nightmares occur during REM sleep — the dream stage. When the nightmare cycle runs repeatedly through the night, sleep becomes something the brain actively fears rather than seeks. This type has its own research footprint in cannabinoid science, and it matters for how we talk about THC specifically.

Part 3: Your Body's Own Sleep System — And How Cannabinoids Fit In

Before we talk about THC, CBD, and CBG, there's something worth understanding first: your body already produces its own cannabinoids.

One of the most fascinating is anandamide — named after the Sanskrit word for bliss. Your body doesn't store it in advance like most chemicals. It produces anandamide on demand, exactly when and where it's needed. I still find that to be an amazing response.

What makes anandamide especially remarkable from a clinical standpoint is its role as a retrograde messenger — meaning it travels backward across the synapse, from the receiving neuron back to the sending one, to regulate how much signal gets through. That is also really fascinating! Think of it as the nervous system's built-in volume knob. When things get too loud — too much arousal, too much anxiety, too much cortisol — anandamide helps turn it down.

This is why plant-derived cannabinoids like Delta-9 THC, CBD, and CBG interact with us the way they do. They're working within a system our bodies already built. They're not foreign invaders — they're guests in a house that was designed for them.

Part 4: Three Cannabinoids, Three Sleep Pathways

Here's the most important thing to understand before you try anything: the dose matters enormously. The same molecule at the wrong amount can do the exact opposite of what you want. That is called a biphasic event.

Think of it this way: the cannabinoid is the key. The dose is the lock. Use the wrong amount and the door doesn't open — it might even lock tighter.

Your first experience is a trial run, not a verdict. Dose, timing, and how the product is made all determine the outcome. Give it consistent timing for several nights before drawing any conclusions.

Delta-9 THC — Quieting the Sleep Switch

THC works with a part of the brain called the hypothalamus — the region that controls the sleep-wake switch. By interacting with CB1 receptors there, THC may help quiet the signal that keeps the brain in "wakefulness mode." It also suppresses orexin — a neuropeptide that actively promotes wakefulness.

What the published research shows:

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of six clinical trials involving over 1,000 patients, cannabinoid-based approaches — especially those including THC — were linked to improvements in how people rated their own sleep quality. In one crossover trial, 60% of people with chronic insomnia no longer met the clinical definition of insomnia after just two weeks.

For sleep onset insomnia specifically, multiple clinical trials found that THC at 10–20mg may help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. One RCT found a mean reduction in sleep onset latency of 43 minutes compared to placebo.

On dose — this is important:

At 10–20mg: multiple trials show reduced time to fall asleep and improved subjective sleep quality.

At 20–30mg: slow-wave (deep) sleep increases and REM sleep decreases. For most people, less REM long-term isn't ideal — REM is when your brain does emotional processing, memory consolidation, and repair. But for people with PTSD-related nightmares, this is exactly the mechanism of benefit. Nightmares happen during REM. Fewer REM cycles means fewer nightmare cycles. This is the leading theory for why THC-based approaches show meaningful results specifically in PTSD sleep research.

Above 30mg: next-day fogginess, sluggishness, and tolerance buildup become real concerns. More is not better. The goal is support, not sedation.

Timing: For oral edibles, research suggests 30–60 minutes before your target bedtime to allow peak levels to align with the sleep transition window.

Source: Luu et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2025

CBD — Building Sleep Pressure

CBD's mechanism is distinct from THC's. Rather than acting on the sleep switch directly, CBD may enhance the activity of adenosine — your brain's natural sleep-pressure chemical. The more adenosine available to do its job, the stronger the biological drive toward sleep.

What the published research shows:

In a double-blind clinical trial with 1,793 adults with sleep difficulties, CBD-containing products were linked to improvements in sleep quality, and combination formulations consistently outperformed single-ingredient approaches. Meaning, no isolates but well formulated products.

A large case series published in The Permanente Journal found that 66.7% of patients reported improved sleep scores within the first month of CBD use, with sustained improvement in most cases.

Here's what most people don't know — and it trips people up constantly:

CBD is biphasic. At low doses (roughly 25mg or less), CBD can actually be mildly energizing, not calming. Someone who tries a low dose, feels nothing or feels slightly wired, and concludes "CBD doesn't work" may have simply been on the wrong side of the dose curve. Your first dose is a trial — not a verdict.

At the doses in most consumer hemp products, CBD is best understood as a supporting player — working alongside THC and CBG to enhance the overall effect rather than carrying the full load solo. This is exactly why precision combination formulations may outperform single-ingredient products.

Timing: For sleep maintenance insomnia, the sustained duration of oral edible formats is an advantage — the slower onset means active levels extend further into the night. When dosing CBD for sleep or relaxation, you are looking at roughly 10-20mg/kg/day. That can get a little pricey. This is why the synergistic effect is important.

Source: Blessing et al., Neurotherapeutics, 2015; Shannon et al., The Permanente Journal, 2019

CBG — Targeting the Alarm System Directly

CBG is the newest entrant in cannabinoid sleep research — and its mechanism is the most precisely targeted of the three.

Remember the locus coeruleus — the brain's alarm system that won't stop firing in people with insomnia? CBG appears to work directly on receptors in that region.

A 2023 peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that CBG interacts with α2-adrenoceptors and 5-HT1A receptors in the locus coeruleus and surrounding areas, producing anxiety-reducing effects and helping quiet the neuronal firing that keeps the brain in an alert state.

Here's why that's significant: there's already a pharmaceutical drug called clonidine that targets this exact same pathway to help with insomnia and anxiety. CBG appears to access the same mechanism — but without clonidine's known risks of low blood pressure and rebound symptoms when stopped. A Veterans Affairs clinical trial is currently underway studying CBG specifically for sleep support.

On dose: The precise active range is still being established in ongoing research. 20mg has been the most studied amount in early anxiety and relaxation research. Receptor-level precision matters here just as much as with THC and CBD.

Source: Mendiguren et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023

Part 5: Matching the Cannabinoid to Your Insomnia Type

Now that you understand both the types of insomnia and what each cannabinoid may do, you can see why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't make sense:

Insomnia Type	Primary Issue	Cannabinoid Most Studied
Sleep Onset	Brain won't quiet down	THC (10–20mg) — may support faster sleep onset
Sleep Maintenance	Wakes during night	THC + CBD combination — sustained coverage
Early Morning Awakening	Wakes too early, stress/mood overlap	CBG (locus coeruleus pathway) + provider evaluation
Paradoxical	Misperception of sleep	CBT-I first; cannabinoids as adjunct only
PTSD/Nightmare	REM-driven nightmare cycle	THC at specific dose — targeted REM modulation

Part 6: Why Terpenes — and How the Product Is Made — Matter

Here's something almost no one in the cannabis space talks about — but should.

Most cannabinoid edibles are gummies. Most gummies are manufactured at high temperatures — often above 200°F. Terpenes, the natural plant compounds that work alongside cannabinoids to support the full effect, are volatile. They evaporate at high heat.

This means many gummy formulations arrive with degraded terpene content — regardless of what the label says went in.

Dr. Murse Therapeutic Taffies are produced at lower temperatures, preserving the complementary terpene profiles that research suggests may amplify cannabinoid receptor activity. That's not a marketing statement — it's thermochemistry.

β-Myrcene and linalool — terpenes in the Rest & Recovery formula — both interact with GABA-A receptors, the same receptor system targeted by many pharmaceutical sleep aids. Preserving them matters. α-Pinene, terpinolene, and D-limonene — in the Daylight Harmony Blend — support daytime alertness and calm without THC. D-limonene and linalool in the Calm & Balance formula support a focused, centered daytime experience.*

This is what clinician formulation actually means — not just choosing which cannabinoids go in, but understanding what happens to those ingredients during production.

Part 7: What the Meta-Analysis Data Actually Says

To be clinically honest about where the research stands:

A meta-analysis of six clinical trials involving over 1,000 patients found that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in how people subjectively rated their sleep quality — and improvements appeared to be driven by formulations that included THC, not CBD alone. However, the same researchers noted high variability across studies and limited effects on objective brain-wave measurements.

A separate comprehensive review found limited convincing evidence for significant improvements in objectively measured sleep, while also noting that withdrawal from cannabinoids can lead to meaningful sleep disruption, and that most available studies were observational rather than rigorously controlled.

Both conclusions can be true simultaneously. The honest interpretation:

People who use cannabinoids for sleep tend to report feeling like they slept better — and that subjective experience is real and meaningful. The brain-wave data doesn't always confirm it. The research is promising, growing, and not yet finished.

Cannabinoids appear to be a useful addition to a thoughtfully constructed sleep toolkit — not a standalone solution. The gold-standard behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia remains CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), and it works remarkably well even in digital app formats. Exercise, consistent sleep timing, and mindfulness meditation all have strong evidence bases. The smartest clinical approach is additive — not replacement.

Part 8: Practical Guidance Before You Start

Start low. Track it. Adjust methodically. Your first dose is a trial run. Take the same dose at the same time for several nights before changing anything.

Timing matters. Edibles have a delayed onset — typically 30 to 90 minutes, depending on metabolism and food intake and which type of sleep issues you are attempting to target. The practical guidance: 30–60 minutes before your target bedtime to initiate sleep, consistently. Issues with staying asleep, take the discussed dose right at bedtime.

Tolerance and withdrawal are real. Long-term nightly THC use without breaks can lead to tolerance buildup and sleep disruption when stopped. Intermittent use with planned breaks is worth discussing with your healthcare provider.

Talk to your provider. Especially if you take other medications, have cardiovascular concerns, or are pregnant or nursing.

The Bottom Line

Insomnia is not one thing. It has types, mechanisms, and causes — and the right approach depends on which kind you're dealing with.

Cannabinoids like Delta-9 THC, CBD, and CBG interact with the brain systems involved in sleep through distinct, well-characterized pathways. The research is serious, peer-reviewed, and growing — and it's most compelling when the right cannabinoid is matched to the right sleep problem at the right dose.

Dr. Murse doesn't make sleep products.

Dr. Murse makes precision cannabinoid blends — formulated by a board-certified nurse practitioner, built around the science of how these compounds actually work in the body, and produced in a way that preserves the ingredients that matter most.

That's not a product category. That's a different standard entirely.

Jesse Cole Christianson, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC is a board-certified adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner and cannabinoid therapeutics educator based in Wisconsin.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Adult use only (21+). Individual results may vary. Consult your healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription medications.

Selected references: Luu et al., Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2025 · Walsh et al., Journal of Cannabis Research, 2023 · Mendiguren et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023 · Ranum et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2023 · Bhatt et al., Sleep, 2021 · Blessing et al., Neurotherapeutics, 2015 · Shannon et al., The Permanente Journal, 2019 · Suraev et al., Journal of Sleep Research, 2026 · Bjorøy et al., Insomnia Phenotypes, 2020