CBD is one of the most powerful medicines available today. It’s got a lot of powerful applications, and can be used for treating many physical ailments. Some of the most common physical problems treated by CBD include:
- Inflammatory conditions like arthritis and Crohn’s disease
- Acute and chronic pain, both physical pain (like broken bones) and neuropathic pain like that found in Parkinson’s patients
- Digestive issues like IBS
There are more and more physical problems that CBD can help manage. But in today’s article we’re going to be discussing the mental health benefits of CBD, particularly its ability to help fight anxiety and depression.
CBD Explained
CBD is the short-form of cannabidiol, one of the cannabinoids found in cannabis and in the hemp plant. It’s got a lot of potential medical benefits and has been used for treating a huge number of conditions.
One of the reasons that CBD is so popular is because it allows people to reap the medicinal benefits of cannabis without any of the psychoactive effects. Medical marijuana, while considered very useful in many aspects, however many people are not able to handle the powerful intoxicating effects that it can cause.
CBD works by influencing the brain and the body’s endocannabinoid system, a complex system of brain chemicals that transmit messages throughout the nervous system and the brain. This system is highly involved in a huge number of bodily functions, which is one of the reasons that CBD has such far-reaching effects. By having a positive impact on a system as far-reaching as the ECS, CBD is able to help heal a huge number of different problems.
Another reason that more and more research is being done on CBD is because we still aren’t sure of the full degree of its effects. As we look deeper into the compound, we’re finding that more and more conditions can actually be caused by an imbalance in the ECS. This means that there are conditions – probably lots of them – that we don’t even know can be treated by CBD yet.
The ECS can be thrown out of balance by a number of things. Stress, pollution, lack of exercise, unhealthy food… all of these things contribute to ECS imbalance, and also to many of the illnesses and diseases that we’re used to seeing in our society.
How Can I Use CBD?
There are a lot of different ways that a person can use CBD. This is part of its appeal. These are some of the most commonly available products that contain CBD.
- CBD flower. This is the original method of consuming CBD – though people weren’t always aware that CBD even existed. Marijuana has always contained a mixture of CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids in its flowers. For many years, the CBD was bred out in place of THC, but as people begin to recognize the importance of CBD, flower is now being bred with higher amounts of CBD.
- CBD oils drops. These are extracted forms of CBD that can be taken sublingually, under the tongue, or orally, down the throat. These allow you to consume relatively high doses of CBD if you need them.
- CBD capsules. These contain prepackaged powder or oil CBD that can be taken orally or broken up and taken under the tongue.
- CBD lotions and creams can be applied on the skin to help heal things like headaches and ease the pain of inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
- CBD vape juice, shatter, and wax are all ways that you can vaporize CBD. This delivers a hard hit quickly and is the one of the best ways to use CBD oil for anxiety – more on that in a bit.
- CBD gummies and other edibles. A fun and convenient way to enjoy the benefits on-the-go, at work, or anywhere.
CBD is so versatile that you can mix and match the different methods of consumption to find one that suits you. For example, if you don’t want to carry your capsules around with you, you can bring a vape pen. If you don’t feel like rolling CBD flower into joints, you can bring a tincture with you. Using it topically doesn’t require any consumption, which is great all around.
Does CBD Oil Work for Anxiety?
One of the most powerful uses of CBD, and certainly my personal favorite, is the way that it helps to fight anxiety.
It does this by a number of mechanisms. CBD has been known for quite some time to treat anxiety, and these are a couple of the most well-understood mechanisms.
- It helps to influence the endocannabinoid system in a positive way. The ECS is heavily involved in feelings of relaxation, and if it’s out of balance it can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
- CBD helps to promote relaxation even in those who have no problems with their ECS. This makes it ideal for people who have panic problems or anxiety.
- CBD has been shown to reduce the instance of ‘psychotic thought.’ It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what constitutes a psychotic thought, but it’s generally understood that people who have chronic anxiety are thinking in a disordered manner. CBD can help to correct these disordered thoughts so one can think easily and comfortably.
One attractive thing about CBD is that it can be used in place of THC.
Many people are able to use marijuana for anxiety. These people respond well to THC, seeing as marijuana is generally relatively high in THC – especially nowadays. A couple decades ago, the levels of THC and CBD were in balance, and fewer people found that marijuana made them anxious.
Unfortunately, with the high levels of THC found in marijuana these days, many people find that it actually makes them more anxious. This was one of the most interesting controversies associated with CBD because people
How to Use CBD Oil For Anxiety?
There are a number of different ways that you can use CBD oil for anxiety. In fact, it’s not just CBD oil that’s useful for anxiety. Any form of CBD – except perhaps the topical applications which aren’t actually absorbed into the bloodstream – can be very useful for helping to manage anxiety.
Here’s a brief outline of some common types of anxiety that can be treated with CBD. We’ll outline some of the best ways that people have used CBD to manage these problems.
It’s important to note that many people have co-occurring disorders like insomnia or depression that come along with their anxiety. Most of the methods listed below will be effective enough for you to utilize CBD for anxiety and depression or to use CBD for sleep and anxiety – or even all three at once.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder is a problem that’s marked by chronic anxiety that occurs over the course of the day. People with this problem are prone to worrying a lot or having nervous sensations even when there’s not anything specific triggering them.
In these cases, there are a few ways that people like to use CBD. The most common way to do it is with some form of slow-acting CBD – so this means that people generally like to use capsules, tinctures or oil and take them orally.
When the drug is taken orally, it might take a while to enter the bloodstream but it will also linger longer and the effects will be felt for a longer duration. It’s also possible to continue using CBD. Many patients with generalized anxiety disorder have found that CBD builds up in the system when taken once or twice a day, and this allows them to virtually eliminate their anxiety.
Some people can feel relief smoking or vaping CBD in the case of general anxiety. However, generally long-term care is better done with oral or sublingual dosing.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a condition that’s marked by frequent or recurring panic attacks. Panic attacks often leave a person extremely uncomfortable, hyperventilating, with an increased heartbeat or sweaty.
These unexpected episodes can come on quite abruptly, and for this reason, people with panic disorder often prefer to vape or smoke their CBD. Vaping is often more effective because it allows people to get a fairly large dose of CBD into the bloodstream quite quickly, but some people have no problem managing their panic attacks by smoking flower.
It is certainly possible to relieve a panic attack by taking a capsule or a sublingual tincture. However, since the onset is shorter, people suffering from panic disorder are more likely to want to have an immediate fix. The 20-40 minutes that it takes for a sublingual or oral dose to kick in can seem like a lifetime to someone in the middle of a panic attack.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is one of the conditions that’s actually best treated by CBD. People who have social anxiety disorder often have a hard time engaging in social situations. These can be engagements with friends, families, co-workers – anyone that they have to interact with on a social level. People with serious social anxiety disorder often have a very hard time building long-lasting relationships with people.
CBD can be useful in different ways to help people with social anxiety. One of the great things about CBD is that you don’t have to use it all the time. This means that you can just take a dose before you go out to socialize.
For this reason, it’s not necessary to have something like a vape to deliver CBD rapidly. However, these can be nice if you’re going out for a walk and you bump into a social situation unexpectedly.
However, many people find just as much success by using capsules and tinctures. All you need to do is dose yourself when you’re preparing for a social situation and watch your anxiety melt away. You can re-dose as needed during the social setting without worrying about becoming intoxicated or overdoing it. This is much better – and safer – than other conventional substances that are used for managing anxiety, like alcohol and benzodiazepines.
CBD Vs. Other Anxiety Medications
Many of the other medications that people are commonly prescribed for anxiety are actually quite dangerous.
Take the family of benzodiazepines, for example. These drugs, which include things like Xanax and Klonopin, are extremely effective at fighting anxiety. There’s no doubt about that. However, they also cause a number of side effects, including:
- Extreme sedation, making it impossible to drive a vehicle or even go to work if you don’t have a tolerance
- Confusion and disorientation
- Intoxication, difficulty focusing or maintaining motor skills
- Addiction, dependence, and withdrawal
The withdrawal symptoms of these drugs is the most concerning aspect. Interestingly, alcohol also causes similar withdrawal symptoms, and alcohol is often used in place of benzodiazepines for people who do not want or cannot get a prescription.
Both of these drugs cause the brain’s GABA system to work. This causes relaxation and decreases anxiety. However, as the drugs build up in the system, the brain becomes reliant on them. When someone stops using these drugs, the withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that, in serious cases, they are fatal. Many people have died from seizures caused by alcohol or benzo withdrawal.
CBD does not cause addiction. It does not cause dependency. And it certainly doesn’t cause withdrawal symptoms (though if someone stops using CBD without actually identifying and addressing the underlying issues that led to them using it, they may simply ‘return to baseline,’ which will feel less comfortable than they did when they were using CBD.)
Regardless, CBD is a much safer alternative to pharmaceutical medications, particularly those for anxiety and insomnia. Consider talking to your doctor about switching to CBD, and if you are unable to get it prescribed, try to get your doctor to slowly wean you off of any medication so you can safely switch to CBD without experiencing any withdrawal.
Getting The Best CBD Oil
CBD is a powerful medicine that can help to combat anxiety, insomnia, and depression. It’s much safer than conventional medication and can be immensely helpful for people who are struggling with pharmaceutical dependence. Choosing a high quality CBD oil is vitally important to get the desired results though. Check out our homepage to learn more about doing this.
Hopefully this article has shone some light on the wonderful medicine that is CBD, and how it can help make living life with anxiety more manageable.
