It’s hard to escape stress - especially during a global pandemic and economic crisis. We’re hyper-stressed at the moment and all this time at home means it’s more difficult than ever to escape our stress.
There are many types of stress and it’s a natural, normal, mental and physical response to change - so it’s okay to feel stressed. However, when our stress is out of control and starts to have negative impacts on our health, that’s when it becomes a serious problem.
Fortunately there is a natural remedy that is already helping thousands of people around the world.
The rise of CBD as a natural remedy for anxiety and stress.
Recent changes in legislation on the use of CBD has sparked a flurry of scientific interest and excitement and it’s use as a naturally-derived therapeutic supplement has driven a huge amount of scientific studies that have shown promising results.
It’s inevitable that the more research is done, the more ways CBD will be shown to benefit people from all walks of life. Using CBD for anxiety and stress seems to be beneficial in a multitude of ways. Before we get into all of that, let’s first get a better understanding of anxiety and stress.
What is Stress and what does it do to our bodies?
Stress is a natural part of life and we all experience different types of stress and to varying degrees of severity. It can be caused by external/lifestyle factors, internal imbalances, or a combination of both. Besides for the mental difficulties that stress causes it has a serious impact on our physical state as well.
The most common symptoms of stress are:
- Low energy
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Increased heart rate
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Chest pains
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Headaches
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Upset stomach
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Neck and back tension
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Insomnia
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Sweaty palms or feet
Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and a weakened immune system.
Stress is the body’s natural reaction to a change in the external environment and causes a surge of adrenaline, leading to the ‘fight or flight’ response. Your muscles tense and your heart races as you ready yourself for action.
Once the stressful situation or task is over, the body’s response should subside together with the emotional feelings of stress. But just like any other system,stress hormones and their effects build up in the body, leading to mental and physical disease.
CBD oil for anxiety and stress
Scientists and mental health professionals have conducted dozens of studies on CBD as a treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders. This research shows promising evidence towards the use of CBD for common stress and anxiety, as well as more serious issues such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, panic disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The majority of these studies suggest that CBD aids in soothing, and even potentially reversing, the effects of stress and anxiety.
These are the results of scientific and experimental studies:
- A study on blood flow to the brain showed that CBD was able to reduce the symptoms of social anxiety.
- In an experiment on stress responses, scientists placed rats into a snake cage and measured their reactions. They found that the rodents who had been given low doses of CBD responded more effectively by looking around the cage for a safe place to hide.
- A similar, stress-inducing experiment was conducted on human subjects. It involved a simulated public speaking task. The experiment featured subjects with and without social anxiety. Random members from both groups were given CBD before the task. All the members who took CBD showed a decrease in their stress response.
- In a case study on a child with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety-provoked sleep disorder the study showed that CBD reduced the child’s anxiety and helped her to sleep.
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Another 2014 study suggests that CBD’s long-term anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects are due to the compound’s interactions with the 5-HT1A serotonin neuroreceptors
That’s cool, but how does CBD actually help stress?
CBD may counter anxiety by stimulating neurotransmitter systems and neural regeneration.
Using CBD for anxiety has a positive effect on serotonin receptors in the brain. Studies have shown that CBD produces antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects and may reduce depression related to stress.
CBD oil is also said to boost growth of new neurons and neural connections thus helping certain areas of the brain grow and is therefore seen as a tool to help counteract the damage that chronic stress causes on the brain. Studies have also shown CBD’s success in neural regeneration in the hippocampus which is an area of the brain negatively affected by stress.
Using CBD as part of your anti-stress regime
CBD isn’t a miracle cure. In fact, it’s beneficial properties are at their peak when used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle. If you have a couple of drops now and then when you’re feeling stressed that’s fine, but the people who see the best results are those who have incorporated something like a CBD mouth spray into their daily mental and physical health regime.
There is one thing you should watch out for when using CBD - make sure you get yours from a safe and trusted source, preferably one that has gone through extensive external verification and testing.
Whatever CBD product you use, make sure it is of the highest quality and free from toxins and pesticides.