All of us are familiar with the feelings of stress we experience immediately before an important exam or a work-related event. But at times, working in a stressful environment, meeting the demands of our friends and family, or simply trying to keep our head above water in times of trouble feels like a continual uphill struggle. If you feel that you have a continual sense of impending doom, your stress levels can quickly spiral out of control that could result in panic attacks, skin breakouts and feelings of depression. So it’s important that you find a method of managing your stress levels and resetting your fight or flight response.
Many people are exploring natural solutions and healing remedies like CBD, meditation, and yoga to help them keep stress at bay and focus on the bigger picture in a calm and rational manner.
The popularity of CBD products to treat stress and anxiety is growing by the day and there is already a sufficient amount of scientific research revealing that it can be an effective treatment option for those who want to instill feelings of calm in a natural way during stressful times.
CBD for Emotional and Physical Stress
Even though CBD is now legal in every state across the US (that’s CBD products, not the marijuana/hemp plant or anything with the THC compound), some people are still hesitant to start taking it due to the fact that it is derived from the cannabis plant and they worry about the social and professional implications of using it. The reality here is that such a vast amount of people have come forward to talk about how much CBD has helped them deal with stress and anxiety that it is more widely accepted than ever before. This versatile supplement has also made headlines worldwide, thanks to its link to benefiting ailments that many suffer from like an anxiety disorder and insomnia, to more serious diseases like Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and post-traumatic stress. In addition to this, several studies and personal testimonials of existing CBD users have revealed that it has a positive overall impact on their emotional and physical health.
The benefits of CBD are in early stages of clinical trials, but more and more people are using it at home. Unlike medical marijuana, which combines both the CBD and THC chemical compounds, CBD on its own does not produce any psychoactive effects. So it can be used for things like anxiety and stress, or chronic pain, without the side effect that also comes along with regular cannabis products.
Stress and Your Hormones
Both stress and anxiety are chemically created in the brain, and when certain hormones become overactive or underactive, feelings of worry or stress become further intensified. Our endocannabinoid system helps regulate hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that relate to stress and the anxiolytic properties of CBD interact with both the endocannabinoid system and the HPA axis (our central stress response system) to counteract feelings of worry and stress.
The Best Way to Take CBD Oil to Deal With Stress
For those struggling with anxiety of frequent episodes of chronic worrying, a regular daily dose of CBD makes perfect sense as a preemptive solution, but unfortunately stress can be as unpredictable as life and you never know what could happen tomorrow. This is why many people need a fast delivery method for CBD so they can combat feelings of stress as soon as they arise. Both vaping CBD and taking a sublingual tincture are proven to be the quickest delivery methods due to the fact that your digestive system is bypassed entirely, so you don’t have to wait for the cannabinoids to metabolize and kick in. That said, if you are exposed to stress on a regular basis, adding CBD to your daily diet could help alleviate some of the tension build up in your body, promote relaxation and help you sleep better.
The positive and calming effects of CBD oil are heightened when you combine it with other effective ways of reducing stress such as:
- Getting Regular Exercise – Exercising allows you to blow off steam whilst endorphins are being released in your brain. These endorphins will help you to feel less stressed and more relaxed.
- Rest More – Although a good night’s sleep can be difficult to achieve during times of stress and anxiety, CBD can help. And when you give your body the time it needs to rest and recover, you are often able to deal with negative situations more calmly and keep things in proportion.
- Cut Down On Coffee – Whilst many of us rely on caffeine to get us through the day, especially during stressful times, it amplifies feelings of stress by elevating cortisol levels. Cutting down on coffee will help you to avoid energy crashes and emotional ups and downs.
Final Thoughts
Evidence indicates the strong potential of CBD to effectively treat stress. CBD doesn’t produce any psychoactive or mind-altering effects, so you won’t have to worry about any unexpected panic attacks or paranoia. You will instead benefit from the powerful feelings of relaxation it offers.
If you already take traditional medication to overcome the symptoms of stress and anxiety, then it would be a good idea to speak to your doctor about supplementing it with CBD to get some professional advice. Even temporary stress can do serious damage to your health if you don’t take steps to safeguard yourself against burn-out, which is just one of the reasons that CBD is being used amongst people of all ages worldwide.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6066583/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032718303100
