I Tested a CBD Supplement Designed to Reduce Stress & Improve Sleep

When a PR agency offered me some anti-stress pills I was willing to try anything. We’d been having problems with tenants trashing our house and a letting agency who didn’t seem to care.

The end result was thousands of pounds worth of bills and tenants continuing to do their worst to the house. Meanwhile, we cannot raise the rent because we raised it by 1% last January, even though the rent has been virtually static for 20 years. It also takes time, cost, and a lot of stress to get rid of them, if we decide to evict.

They’ve not always been terrible tenants, but they do seem to lack respect for our property and the recent inspection showed things were bad. They’re also paying about £200 a month below market value, while costing us thousands in repairs.

I was stressed. Could this pill help? I thought it was expecting a lot of a dietary supplement, to be honest. But I accepted the offer of a free trial and promised to review the product.

I’ve now almost completed the jar and my stress levels are down, but I do feel this is mostly because the situation is now more under control and the costs have stopped spiralling, at least for now.

Brains Pure CBD

The pills, ‘Brains Pure CBD’, are a mix of CBD 20mg, with ashwaganda. They’re supposed to help with stress and anxiety, and may improve sleep.

They weren’t helping when I started taking them. I felt my stress levels were far too high and was trying to calm down. We had a holiday planned and I didn’t want it to be ruined.

Leaving the problems in the hands of the property agents and a maintenance team, I tried to switch off and stop worrying while we went away. I didn’t look at emails all week. I had a digital detox. I didn’t want to know if there were problems.

This helped me a lot. I came back feeling calmer, and by the time I returned, a lot of the repair work had been completed. The agent said they would talk to the tenants sternly about their part in causing the damage. Things felt a little more under control.

We’ve yet to pay most of the bills, but at least the costs have stopped spiralling. Have the supplements helped? Well I am calmer now, although I have to say, I think my break in the countryside had more to do with that than the herbs.

Here-in lies the problem with writing reviews. When stress is very bad, it’s probably going to improve whether you take herbs or not, because you’re simultaneously taking action to try to get things under control.

My routine

I took the supplement once daily with food. Despite its well documented beneficial effect on sleep, I was having a hard time sleeping because of the intense summer heat — and the fact that I went caravanning with my husband, who hogs the bed!

So, I can’t honestly say I felt any more refreshed, or noticed any change to my dreams or sleep patterns. But I was probably lying awake with happier thoughts going round in my head, because the holiday and digital detox did me good.

How did the supplement meet my expectations? I’m a little calmer than when I started. But I felt quite stressed yesterday and had a terrible night, so it’s not a magic formula.

However, I am slightly nervous that running out off the pills in two days time might leave me more susceptible to stress, so I feel they might be helping a little! It really is impossible to say. My anxiety levels are naturally quite volatile, and very much dependent upon my ability to control my environment.

It’s hard to judge whether the pills have helped, but I can report that I feel better now than I did at the start. Take from that what you will.

How the pills may improve wellbeing

The information supplied with the pills said: “CBD can help to effectively reduce anxiety and stress, therefore aiding a better quality of sleep. The calming properties of Ashwagandha complement CBD for:

• anxiety-reducing effects
• stress relief
• more consistent and healthy sleep hygiene
• relaxation support
• and mood management.”

CBD is thought to deliver many health benefits because it’s similar to the body’s own endocannabinoid system — a system that helps regulate and balance bodily functions.

This system can affect our experiences of stress and anxiety, mood, movement, memory, appetite, pain, and sleep. The endocannabinoid system is primarily there to help the body maintain balance so everything’s functioning at its best.

The suppliers add: “The product is manufactured in the UK (to EU GMP standards) from 99.9% pure plant-based CBD and is 100% THC free, Vegan and Kosher.”

© Susie Kearley 2023. All Rights Reserved.