If you click through a few pages of our website, you'll see that my motivation for launching Power Flower is based largely on how CBD gave my son a second chance at life by helping him live seizure free. Naturally, this positive outcome affects everyone in my household in ways that I can only begin to describe. The same is true for the negative affects we suffered during the many years that Riley's condition deteriorated.

During our increasingly dark days of hopelessness, I began to suffer a range of different maladies including stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness. Looking back, it seems clear that my sleeping issues stemmed from the overwhelming stress and anxiety surrounding my son's health, in combination with generally poor sleeping hygiene. I would fall asleep quickly at night, basically from exhaustion, but I would awaken just a few hours later. My mind would ruminate over the many stresses, concerns, and fears that entirely gripped my being. It was like taking a shot of adrenaline at 2am - I was wide awake yet completely drained at the same time. I suffered from chronic fatigue, and my health steadily declined. When I discussed the issue with my doctor, he shared common tips like limiting caffeine and alcohol consumption, increasing exercise, and improving my diet. He also prescribed Ambien.

I could write for days on this topic, as taking Ambien was a truly wild experience. On the bright side, it helped me sleep instantly. While some people report feeling groggy the next day, I never experienced this side effect. In fact, it was the complete absence of haziness that I loved most of all. I could finally sleep, and I woke up feeling clear and refreshed. On the downside, Ambien is categorized as a hypnotic. No one explained the implications of this, so I learned my early lessons the hard way. Here's some advice... Do NOT take this medication unless you are in bed and ready to sleep. Otherwise, you may end up writing "inspired" emails to your boss, pruning your roses, or detailing your car at 3am. Most of the stories are comical, but I shudder to think of what could have happened in the early days of my uniformed use. The worst part about taking Ambien was that I absolutely couldn't sleep without it. This wasn't really the medication's fault; it was more that the medication simply masked the underlying cause of my sleeping disorder. While they claim that Ambien is non-addictive, I lived in fear of being without it. On the many occasions I became separated from my script (for various reasons), I was miserable. I knew that my dependency was a losing situation, but I could see no other options.

In 2018, I read a study published by Harvard Health Publishing suggesting that CBD shows promising results in treating sleeping disorders. With some reserve, I experimented by swapping an Ambien pill for a combination of CBD and melatonin. This became my first entry into taking CBD, and the results have been astonishing. I slept... like... a baby. Could this be real? It felt too good to be true. Was it just a placebo effect? I continued the regimen night after night with the same results. About a week later, I discarded the remainder of my prescription and never looked back.

With some light introspection, I can now easily explain why this solution worked so well for me. My sleeplessness was driven mostly by ongoing stress and anxiety. The calming effects of CBD tamed my inner demons. To be clear, I still think about the things that used to keep me awake at night. The difference is that cannabinoids drastically diminish the adrenalin-induced impact of those thoughts. When stressful thoughts come to mind, I simply feel less stress and anxiety. My mind is calmer and more relaxed. By combining these effects with the proven benefits of melatonin, I found a potent solution that supports sleep health naturally. I now sleep effortlessly between 7-8 hours every night.

It's important to mention that recent studies show a wide range of serious long-term side effects from using Ambien and other hypnotic sleep aids. Among several others, these include memory loss, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression. If you suffer from a sleeping disorder, it may be worth exploring CBD as an alternative. Our Sleep Support capsules are specially formulated to give you a great night's sleep so you can end your chemical dependence on over-the-counter sleep aids and pharmaceutical hypnotics.

For more information about how CBD supports your sleeping health, please see some of the studies here Cannabis Applications in Healthcare & Research >