dreamt’s formulas explained
In this article, we explore dreamt’s formulations, how they work and some of the science supporting them.
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dreamt is a formulation, first and foremost. Our founder and Chief Scientific Officer Carolina Vazquez Mitchell first created dreamt to treat her own chronic sleep problems, which had worsened during her PhD studies at USC. After trying lots of existing cannabis products and feeling resistant towards pharmaceuticals, Carolina started researching individual cannabinoids and their potential as sleep aids. She found a growing body of research that supported cannabis’ ability to induce sleep and increase deep sleep, but at the expense of the vital REM Sleep, which improves things like cognitive function and memory. She developed a formula which introduced other compounds—melatonin, valerian root, GABA—which could boost REM Sleep, and thus give her a healthier, complete night’s sleep. Over time she would share this formula with friends that shared her difficulties sleeping. She solicited feedback and worked with me, Dr. Jannise Babbush, her best friend and dreamt co-founder, to create a blind study to refine the formula and prepare it for the market. Since launching in December 2019, dreamt has helped thousands of people get a better night’s sleep and has now been adapted to fit four different delivery methods in order to give you options on how you want to sleep soundly.Below you will find a detailed breakdown of each ingredient in dreamt and how they work in synergy.dreamt’s ingredients explained
dreamt’s formulas are designed to tackle a variety of common sleep problems, and the ingredients work synergistically to ensure you have complete and restorative night’s sleep.Each dreamt product contains THC and CBD at a ratio of 2.5:1, and a precise balance of other sleep inducing compounds depending on delivery methods, efficacy and state regulations.THCTetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the cannabinoid responsible for getting you high. While being one of America’s most beloved recreational substances, THC is gaining widespread acknowledgment for its promising medicinal properties, particularly as it relates to pain management and sleep. Because it binds directly to your body’s CB1 receptor, THC is the only cannabinoid that has proven to have a direct effect on sleep. (Read about your body’s endocannabinoid system here.)THC increases delta waves in the brain facilitating deep sleep. THC can help you feel drowsy, and when combined with CBD can be extremely effective at inducing sleep quickly and blissfully. In dreamt’s formula, THC plays a crucial role in initiating sleep and increasing deep sleep.CBDCannabidiol, or CBD, is a non psychoactive compound found commonly in the cannabis plant and in just about every new consumer product in the past two years (CBD pillows anyone!?). Thought to have a wide berth of medical applications, CBD doesn’t get users “high” and in fact has been shown to be wake promoting when used alone. However, in the presence of THC, the resulting entourage effect reduces the undesired effects of THC while increasing its soporific effects. In dreamt’s formula, CBD increases minimizes the risk of paranoia or emotional stress relating to the “high” from the THC, while working in tandem with THC to improve deep sleep.MelatoninMelatonin is a naturally occurring neuro-hormone found in animals, plants and microbes, and it plays a key role in regulating your sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin is produced in the brain from serotonin, so a depletion of serotonin due to stress and anxiety prevents healthy sleep by reducing the melatonin available in the brain.Melatonin is present in dreamt’s 45-night pen and 30-night tincture. In dreamt’s formula, melatonin effectively picks up where the cannabinoids leave off, ensuring that once you’re fast asleep our formulation is helping you get enough REM Sleep, which is vital to your overall health. Valerian RootValerian root is a plant from which extracts have been used in oral administration and inhalable form to treat anxiety and insomnia for millennia. Its extract increases the levels of GABA and enhances its effect. GABA inhibits the activity of neurotransmitters that excite the brain, shortening the time to fall asleep and prolonging total sleep time. Valerian root is present in all of dreamt’s products, and in our formulations it can help to keep your body rested and minimize waking throughout the night.(For those of you familiar with valerian root’s notoriously pungent odor, don’t fret: Carolina developed her own extract which removes it entirely! All of dreamt’s products smell and taste fantastic!)GABAGABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is a naturally occurring amino acid in your brain that regulates other neurotransmitters, and along with Melatonin, is one of only two neurotransmitters that directly participates in the sleep cycle. It is also an effective calming agent for your peripheral nervous system. Some studies have shown that GABA plays an important role in helping your mind transition from a wakeful to a restful state.GABA is in the dreamt 2-night shot and 20-night gummies and works with L-theanine to improve REM Sleep.L-theanineL-γ-glutamylethylamide, or L-theanine, is an amino acid most commonly found in green tea leaves. Studies have shown that L-theanine is an effective relaxant and that it can improve the quality and duration of your sleep. L-theanine has shown to be particularly effective at increasing REM Sleep when used in conjunction with GABA.L-theanine is a present in dreamt’s 2-night shot and 20-night gummies, and helps to improve REM Sleep.TerpenesTerpenes are volatile aromatic compounds found naturally in plants, fruits and vegetables. They have been used therapeutically for millennia, and are thought to play a pronounced role in giving each cannabis strain its unique directional characteristics (sleepy, creative, relaxed etc.)Around 50% of the terpenes in dreamt’s formula are found in cannabis, such as limonene, myrcene, and linalool. We also incorporate a proprietary blend of terpenes found in other plants that have been used in clinical trials as an effective method to treat sleep problems via inhalation.Terpenes are present in dreamt’s 45-night pen and 30-night tincture. The terpenes we use make it easier to fall asleep, and give you a deeper sleep because they significantly decrease sleep stages 1 and 2 while increasing stage 4 and REM sleep.Products & their formulations
45-night sleep pen
‘Best New Product’ - Weedcon 2020
dreamt’s award-winning pen gives you deep, restorative sleep in a fast acting, long lasting form.
THC (5mg per dose)
CBD (2mg per dose)
Melatonin (1.5mg per dose*)
Valerian root extract
Terpene blend
* When melatonin is taken orally via a supplement, 90% of the melatonin is degraded before it enters the bloodstream. dreamt’s 45-night pen delivers melatonin to the bloodstream via inhalation, which has a greatly improved efficacy.
30-night sleep tincture
“One of the year’s most helpful innovations” - Vice
dreamt’s cannabis sleep tincture gives you deep, restorative sleep in a great tasting, long lasting form.
THC (5mg per dose)
CBD (2mg per dose)
Melatonin (3mg per dose)
Valerian root extract
Terpene blend
20-night gummies
dreamt’s gummies bring deep restorative sleep in a delicious, all natural and long-lasting form.
THC (5mg per dose)
CBD (2mg per dose)
GABA
Valerian root extract
L-theanine
2-night sleep shot
dreamt’s cannabis sleep shot gives you deep, restorative sleep in a great tasting, affordable form.
THC (5mg per dose)
CBD (2mg per dose)
GABA
Valerian root extract
Licorice root extract
L-theanine
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References
Below you will find the published research supporting our formulations and their effectiveness at improving sleep.
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THC and Deep Sleep: THC has been shown to increase deep sleep, decrease sleep latency, and decrease REM sleep. 1
CBD Alone is Wake Promoting: Several studies have demonstrated that CBD alone increases wakefulness. 2
Our Ratio: Low doses of CBD enhance THC’s effectiveness including sleep inducing effects while high doses of CBD reduces those effects. 3
Melatonin and Sleep: Research shows REM sleep is increased by the use of melatonin. 4
Melatonin and Your Lungs: Studies applying melatonin directly to human lung tissue have been shown to protect and reverse the effects of lung fibrosis and other types of lung damage. 5, 6
Valerian Root and Sleep: Use of valerian root increases REM sleep and decreases the number of awakenings. 7, 8
GABA and Sleep: GABA not only induces relaxation but also reduces anxiety. 9
GABA with L-theanine: GABA/L-theanine mixture showed a decrease in sleep latency, an increase in sleep duration and an increase in REM sleep. 10
Licorice Root and Sleep: Licorice Root has been shown to induce sleep similar to physiological sleep without a decline in sleep quality. 11
Brown, D. T. (Ed.). (1998). Cannabis: the genus cannabis. CRC Press.
Murillo-Rodríguez, E. et al. (2008). The nonpsychoactive Cannabis constituent cannabidiol is a wake-inducing agent. Behavioral neuroscience, 122(6), 1378.
Solowij, N. et al. (2019). A randomised controlled trial of vaporised Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol alone and in combination in frequent and infrequent cannabis users: acute intoxication effects. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 269(1), 17-35.
Cajochen, C. et al. (1997). Melatonin and S-20098 increase REM sleep and wake-up propensity without modifying NREM sleep homeostasis. American journal of physiology-regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 272(4), R1189-R1196.
Zhao, X. et al. (2018). Melatonin protects against lung fibrosis by regulating the hippo/YAP pathway. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(4), 1118.
Hrenak, J.et al. (2015). Melatonin and renal protection: novel perspectives from animal experiments and human studies. Current pharmaceutical design, 21(7), 936-949.
Diaper, A. et al. (2004). A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled investigation of the effects of two doses of a valerian preparation on the sleep, cognitive and psychomotor function of sleep‐disturbed older adults. Phytotherapy research, 18(10), 831-836.
Donath, F. (1996). A study to investigate the effect of valerian extract (Li 156) on the pharmaco-EEG in healthy male subjects (n=16). Lichtwer Pharma GmbH.
Abdou, A. M. et al. (2006). Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. Biofactors, 26(3), 201-208.
Kim, S. et al. (2019). GABA and l-theanine mixture decreases sleep latency and improves NREM sleep. Pharmaceutical biology, 57(1), 64-72.
Cho, S. et al. (2012). Effect of the licorice flavonoid isoliquiritigenin on the sleep architecture and profile in mice. Food Science and Biotechnology, 21(4), 1221-1225.