Every year around late November, the same customers come back with the same complaint: "I was sleeping really well with my oil, and since the clocks changed I wake up at 4 am for no reason." Many then think CBD has stopped working. In reality, it's almost never the product that has changed – it's the environment around it.
What the change of season really does to sleep
Lower light levels in autumn and winter shift the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates falling asleep, and often alter many people's circadian rhythm. The result: harder to fall asleep some evenings, more frequent night waking, feeling tired on waking even after a full night. CBD doesn't act on melatonin production itself; it mainly acts on general relaxation and easing nervous tension before falling asleep.
Why a routine that worked in summer can seem less effective in winter
If your evening routine relied only on CBD without any other adjustment, it can seem less effective in winter simply because the imbalance to correct is bigger. It's not a loss of effectiveness of the product – it's a different physiological context. CBD remains one element of the routine, not the single answer to every seasonal sleep disruption.
"I was sleeping really well with my oil in summer, and as soon as the clocks changed I started waking at 4 am again. I thought the product had stopped working. Actually I just needed to add real light exposure in the morning on top of the oil in the evening," a customer told us – she ended up finding stable sleep again by combining the two.
What really makes the difference in winter
Getting natural light in the morning, even fifteen minutes, helps reset your internal clock far more effectively than a product taken in the evening. Keeping stable bedtimes also matters enormously, especially when the temptation to push bedtime back grows with long evenings under the duvet. CBD complements these habits; it doesn't replace them.
Should you increase the dose in winter?
Not necessarily. Before increasing the dose, first check whether your bedtime has drifted, whether you spend less time in daylight, or whether your general stress level has risen with the season. Increasing the dose without correcting these factors rarely brings the hoped-for result.
What I recommend in practice
Keep your usual dose, but add real morning light exposure and a stable bedtime during the darkest months. If your sleep is still disrupted for several weeks despite that, come and see us: we can review the format and timing together.
CBD is not a medicine.
