Does CBD Help with Anxiety?
CBD oil is known to help with many health issues, but helping with anxiety is one of the things it’s best known for. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, in the United States alone it affects 40 million people over the age of 18. Anxiety disorders are very treatable, but unfortunately only about 35% of the population (USA) actually seeks treatment.
It’s important to know what anxiety is, and how CBD oil works and can help mitigate the problems. Anxiety is a feeling uneasy, often accompanied by worry and fear. These feelings can be mild all the way to severe. In mild cases anxiety isn’t very debilitating and doesn’t interfere with day to day life much, in severe cases anxiety disorders can prohibit a person from living a normal and fulfilling life.
The difference between worry and anxiety is that people suffering from anxiety find it difficult to control their worries. Feelings of anxiety can be constant, and that it what makes it more difficult for people with anxiety to function. Anxiety isn’t only a feeling or a symptom of anxiety disorder, but it may be brought on by the following mental conditions:
- Panic disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
People with anxiety disorder feel anxious more often than they do not, and many people suffering from anxiety don’t remember the last time that they felt relaxed.
Does CBD Help with Anxiety?
Why causes anxiety?
Anxiety isn’t a result of a single factor in most cases, but it comes as a result of many things. The most common factors are:
- Family history of mental health issues
- Personality factors
- Long term stressful events
- Physical health problems
- Other mental health issues (listed above)
- Substance use/abuse
- Alcohol use/abuse
Anxiety and the brain
Mood and anxiety disorders disrupt the balance of activity in the emotional centres of the brain, and not the higher cognitive areas. The amygdala that is located in deep inside the brain and is part of the emotional centre is mostly responsible for anxiety and its symptoms. Anxiety is felt when the signals from the emotional brain are stronger than the signals from the cognitive brain.
Under normal circumstances our brain manages our anxiety without it interfering with our day-to-day lives, if there is an imminent threat our brain can amplify or turn down our anxiety and fear depending on the urgency of the situation. For people with anxiety disorders, this function doesn’t work the way it should and in some cases barely at all.
Why managing anxiety is important
Anxiety isn’t only something difficult to live with, but it can also have some devastating consequences. Leaving your anxiety unchecked can lead to a whole host of potential problems, including:
- Panic attacks
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Over exposure to harmful hormones released by your body as a result of anxiety
- Rapid heart rate
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pain
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
There are other serious issues that can be the result of long term anxiety that has been left untreated:
- Problems with the digestive system such as diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite
- Immune system problems
- Respiratory problems caused by chronic shallow breathing, a common symptom of long term anxiety
- Muscle tension
- Insomnia
- Social isolation
- Issues with employment
- interpersonal relationships
Anxiety disorders can not only affect your health but can also have a serious impact on your personal and professional life. That is why it’s a good idea to manage your anxiety before it becomes a big enough problem to have a negative effect on other areas.
Does CBD Help with Anxiety?
Can CBD oil really help manage your anxiety?
It’s important to point out that research on CBD oil is still in its early stages and there is much that needs to be learned, but we do know that CBD has helped many people with anxiety issues. CBD oil is extracted from the hemp plant that is the close cousin of the marijuana plant. The main difference being that anything extracted from the hemp plant cannot get you high.
There have been several studies that show that CBD oil (cannabidiol) can help reduce symptoms of anxiety in people, brain scans of the study participants show that there are changes in the blood flow to the parts of the brain that are responsible for anxiety. The participants in this study not only felt better it also changed the way that their brain responded to anxiety.
A study from 2015 pointed to good results when it comes to CBD oil treating many forms of anxiety including:
- Social anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
But it’s important to note, that this study also cautions that not enough is known about the effects of long term use of CBD oil. So far, the effectiveness of only short term CBD use has been shown.
How to use CBD oil for anxiety?
There are a few ways to take CBD oil when it comes to dealing with anxiety. It’s important to check the legality of the products in the country you live in before purchasing or using because legal consequences are possible.
The most recommended CBD oil for anxiety is full spectrum CBD oil:
- CBD edibles can come in the form of gummy bears or other snacks. These will contain a certain amount of CBD oil and this is one of the ways of dosing to help with your anxiety
- Vaping is an option, you can find vaping CBD oils if smoking is your thing
- You can use CBD oil by putting a dose under your tongue and letting it be absorbed by your body
It’s also important to remember to dose the proper amounts and not go overboard. If you want to get very precise dosage figures it’s a good idea to see your doctor, but here is a general guideline: It’s a good idea to find what your general baseline is by using ‘stepwise dosing’. This is done by starting with a smaller amount than most people use, and gradually adjusting the dosage over 3 days to find what is effective for you.
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Anxiety References and Anxiety Information
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America: https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,of%20those%20suffering%20receive%20treatment.
- NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/#:~:text=Anxiety%20is%20a%20feeling%20of,medical%20test%20or%20job%20interview.
- NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/#:~:text=Anxiety%20is%20a%20feeling%20of,medical%20test%20or%20job%20interview.
- Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/what-causes-anxiety
- Brain Facts: https://www.brainfacts.org/diseases-and-disorders/mental-health/2018/what-part-of-the-brain-deals-with-anxiety-what-can-brains-affected-by-anxiety-tell-us-062918
- Brain Facts: https://www.brainfacts.org/diseases-and-disorders/mental-health/2018/what-part-of-the-brain-deals-with-anxiety-what-can-brains-affected-by-anxiety-tell-us-062918
- Healthline Magazine: https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body#Other-effects
- Journal of Psychopharmacology: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881110379283
- Springer Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1
- Healthline Magazine: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-people-use-cbd-for-anxiety#Oral-CBD-to-ward-off-anxious-feelings
- Green Flower Botanicals: https://greenflowerbotanicals.com/faq/what-is-the-best-dosage-of-cbd-for-anxiety-related-disorders/#faq3
- Read Also: https://homeremediesapp.com/does-cbd-help-with-insomnia/
