Using CBD for Stress and Anxiety

Can using CBD for stress and anxiety help you? Life and work can get hectic. It is important to be able to balance the two and reduce the amount of stress we feel each day. Stress, if left, unchecked, can lead to many diseases including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, insomnia, anxiety and depression, and diminished mental health. Using CBD may help with generalized anxiety and social anxiety, both of which can have effects on your body and qualify of life.

It is possible to reduce stress with a combination of natural alternatives.

Here are a few ways to lessen stress and make life more enjoyable:

• Exercise regularly. Get up and walk or jog each morning. Stretch. Do yoga.

• Meditate. Meditation has been shown to relieve stress and anxiety in as little as 10-15 minutes of practice each day.

• Take CBD each day. CBD has been shown to calm the body’s fight or flight mechanism. In clinical trials CBD users experienced better/deeper sleep and reported feeling happier with zero psychoactive effects.

• Eat better. Fruits and vegetables have been shown to release more endorphins within the body generating a feeling of wellbeing. A well balance high quality diet supports overall wellness.

• Take regular breaks. It is important to get up and walk around, especially in the sunlight. When we are stuck indoors, in front of a computer, with no natural light, our body does not receive essential Vitamin D for keeping our immune system healthy

• Drink more water. Water is essential to help flush toxins and impurities from your body. It also ensures that the kidneys can work efficiently.

These are just a few ways to reduce stress and implement into a daily routine. But many of us encounter stress during the workday and have little time for breaks. Traveling frequently for work can disrupt a routine making healthy meal choices and exercising more difficult.

Tinctures are a great way of receiving CBD as they are highly bioavailable, and they are discreet. 20-50mg of CBD taken daily can help reduce the amount of stress you feel by calming the body’s response to stress.

CBD works on the Endocannabinoid System which is responsible for regulating many of the body’s functions. These functions include appetite, sleep, hormones, and the body’s response to pain, inflammation, and stress.

When you feel stress, your nervous system releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This is our fight or flight mechanism, warning us to run or to get away from danger.

As a result, your heart beats faster increasing your blood pressure.  Your muscles constrict often leading to headaches or sore neck and joints if experienced over a prolonged period of time.

We often feel this on a daily basis. We are running late for work or to pick the kids up from school. We are overloaded with work and we are trying to reach a deadline. We don’t have time to take a lunch break increasing stress and anxiety even more as we are depriving our body of nutrients. 

How CBD Oil Works for Anxiety

CBD works to calm this response by providing the Endocannabinoid System with essential cannabinoids to help regulate these responses. CBD can also increase the amount of healthy feel-good hormones released into the body like serotonin and dopamine. CBD for treating stress can be a highly effective tool in your overall wellness regimen. A high strength CBD oil tincture can be a tasty and efficient way to incorporate it into your life.

CBD helps prevent tryptophan degradation. This is important as tryptophan is essential to ensure that serotonin can travel throughout the body. When we encounter prolonged stress and anxiety our body releases reduced amounts of GABA. GABA is an important neurotransmitter as it produces a feeling of calm. CBD binds to the GABA-A receptors and also to the 5-HT1 receptors which have an important role in serotonin release.

It was initially thought that CBD only bound to CB1 and CB2 receptors within the Endocannabinoid System, but researchers have found that CBD has a much more far-reaching effect on our neurotransmitters and hence our overall wellbeing.

CBD has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety in several clinical trials. There are several ongoing medical research trials to ascertain how CBD can assist people with ‘long haul’ symptoms.

CBD can be the perfect accompaniment to a busy lifestyle. It can reduce stress and anxiety during your workday, and it can ensure better rest. It is easily implemented into your lifestyle. There are many options available including edibles, tinctures, vapes, drinks, topicals and capsules. A CBD pet product can even help our four legged friends with their own stress levels!

Even if you think you are handling stress very well it may be manifesting in ways you wouldn’t have even associated with stress. Side effects can be headaches, stiff neck, irritability, mood changes, excessive thirst or hunger, sleepiness, and fatigue. CBD could help to regulate your body’s functions resulting in a happier you. The benefits of CBD work best in conjunction with a healthy sleep routine and balanced diet.

Finding the Correct CBD Products for Stress

Start out with a dosage of between 20mg – 50mg dose per day, splitting this dosage into – half in the morning, half before bed. Maintain this dosage for 5 – 7 days to see if this is the correct dosage for you. Effects of CBD can vary by person so it’s important to find the correct dosage to help support your goals. You should experience better sleep, better mood and overall energy levels after the first week or two.

We advise taking a higher dosage when treating acute pain and inflammation or a serious illness such as cancer, Crohn’s Disease or Parkinson’s Disease. CBD can be well tolerated in dosages of up to 1,000mg per day, although it is advised to start at a low dosage as you may only need a small amount to manage your stress levels.

Always consult a physician before discontinuing any medications.