People search: “terpenes for sleep”
Sleep and Terpenes: What Published Research Has Examined
Sleep is one of the most common reasons people search for hemp products. No hemp product is approved to address any condition, including sleep conditions, and nothing here is medical advice. Below is a neutral summary of what published research has actually examined.
What researchers have examined
Myrcene has long been discussed for its presence in hops and lemongrass, plants with centuries of folk use around bedtime rituals; controlled human evidence for myrcene itself is minimal. Sedative-type effects of high-dose myrcene have been reported in rodent studies. Linalool and lavender aromatherapy have been examined in small human studies of sleep quality, generally using essential oils rather than hemp. Terpinolene inhalation produced sedative-like effects in one mouse study.
What the research can’t tell you
Rodent sedation studies used doses far beyond what aroma exposure provides, and human aromatherapy studies are small, short, and not conducted with hemp products. Whether any hemp product affects human sleep has not been established, and this site makes no such claim.
Sources
- do Vale TG, et al. (2002). Central effects of citral, myrcene and limonene, constituents of essential oil chemotypes from Lippia alba, in mice. Phytomedicine, 9(8):709–714. [doi]
- Ito K, Ito M. (2013). The sedative effect of inhaled terpinolene in mice and its structure–activity relationships. Journal of Natural Medicines, 67(4):833–837. [doi]
- Russo EB. (2011). Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7):1344–1364. [doi]
More in the library: all research summaries · the terpene guide