It all started with a Lord Jones Gumdrop. One Friday afternoon in January when Tom passed a box around the office, a few of my colleagues and I each had one. They were delicious—soft, melt-in-your mouth, sugar-dusted and citrus-y—and particularly pretty to look at. Thinking nothing of it, I went home to spend my Friday evening as I pleased. As soon as I got there I fell asleep. 7:00 PM. I woke up an hour later, and that’s when I realized I was feeling good. Nothing extreme. I just felt incredibly comfortable and calm.

I didn’t wind up doing much that night. Instead, I got one of the best sleeps of my life, nestled in my impossibly comfortable Buffy comforter. The next day I ordered my own box of gumdrops. Now, like a lot of people, I tend to have trouble falling asleep. Melatonin supplements were my previous go-to, but since Lord Jones (they’re not the only ones, either! CBD is more readily available than ever) I’ve had less and less trouble than ever before. That’s because the CBD doesn’t just help with the physical aspects of sleep; it also helps get you to the state of mind you need to be able to rest. In other words, if your sleep troubles are driven by anxiety, this is the supplement for you. My experience has been that the CBD can do its best work when taken in the evening before or during dinner. It works like a slow release; by the time you actually crawl into bed, you’re so at peace with your life you won’t even begin to question whether or not you are going to sleep well.

And since these CBD confections don’t actually make you drowsy, there’s no reason not to enjoy them at other times either. Lord Jones makes a dark chocolate espresso chew that's perfect for a mid-week, mid-morning pick-me-up. And here’s your friendly reminder than CBD is not psychoactive in any way! Simply think of it like any other supplement—say, St. John’s Wort—in terms of its abilities. As the body of research around it grows, chances are we’ll all be seeing lots more CBD in the world of health. The new matcha, maybe?

—Anna Jube