Do you struggle with mental health issues? You are not alone. It’s no surprise with everything in the last year, the number of Americans struggling with the following has spiked!
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sleep difficulties
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
For the majority of Americans, life changed abruptly. It became filled with new challenges and unknowns. So, if you were already suffering from mental health issues, they probably got worse.
And, if this is your first time with anxiety or depression, you may have been caught off guard, which can exacerbate the problem. If you are looking for solutions, look to CBD. Although there is plenty of research still to be done, there is more than enough evidence from case studies that CBD can enrich mental health and wellbeing.
CBD has been found to treat effectively:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- Sleep Difficulties
- PTSD
Anxiety Disorders
In a 2015 study, researchers analyzed existing preclinical studies on the use of CBD for anxiety. The study found CBD was effective in treating anxiety disorders, including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Social anxiety disorder
- PTSD
Depression
CBD has anti-depressant-like effects on the brain. In a 2018 study, researchers found these effects depend on the serotonin levels in the brain. Unlike other antidepressants that work by increasing serotonin receptors, CBD appears to impact how the brain responds to the serotonin already present in your body.
Sleep Difficulties
How do sleep difficulties impact your health? Not getting enough sleep is linked to health conditions such as diabetes, depression, anxiety, ADHD, obesity, and heart disease. For example, in a 2019 study, researchers focused on adults who had anxiety and poor sleep symptoms. The researchers found that after a month of taking 25mg of CBD daily, 65% of the participants experienced improvements in sleep quality scores.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
More and more research suggests that CBD assists in reducing PTSD symptoms. For example, a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that routine psychiatric PTSD treatment combined with an oral dose of CBD reduced PTSD symptoms.
What Is CBD?
CBD is a natural compound found in hemp and marijuana plants. Unlike recreational marijuana, you cannot get high from taking CBD. By law, therapeutic CBD products can only contain 0-.3% of THC, the intoxicating compound found in marijuana that produces a high.
What Does CBD Do to Your Brain?
CBD affects receptors in the brain and central nervous system. This may sound like a red flag to you- so let’s take a moment to clarify something. First, there is a significant difference between mind-altering compounds and a psychoactive substance.
Although CBD is a psychoactive substance, it is non-intoxicating. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you need a psychoactive substance that can affect your brain and nervous system.
Psychoactive chemicals cause temporary changes in mood, consciousness, behavior, or perception. Of these, CBD affects mood and other behaviors. If you take CBD, you may experience mild psychoactive effects, but they will not be mind-altering.
CBD positively affects the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a complex cell-signaling system that regulates sleep, stress, mood, memory, and learning.
Want More Science?
Staying grounded in science can help you make a well-informed decision about whether or not CBD could help you with the mental health issues you are facing. There is a large body of research on how CBD can improve mental health.
Here are a few examples:
- Research has found CBD inhibits the breakdown of anandamide, a neurotransmitter associated with mood and pain sensitivity.
- CBD can affect excitotoxicity, a process that damages brain cells. A study showed promising results that CBD could reduce excitotoxicity from brain injury, stroke, hearing loss, and conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
- Studies have concluded that CBD’s antioxidative properties reduce cell damage. Furthermore, damage caused by oxidative stress is associated with psychological conditions, including anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
- According to a 2010 study, CBD helps reduce blood flow to areas of the brain associated with anxiety.
- Research has shown that CBD interacts with serotonin receptors central to managing anxiety and vanilloid receptors, targeting non-addictive forms of pain relief.
- A recent 2020 study showed that CBD helped alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia, social anxiety disorder, and comorbidities of ASD and ADHD.
Is CBD Safe To Take For My Mental Health Issues?
Yes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CBD is generally well tolerated. It has a positive safety profile and no potential for abuse or dependence.
Research has also shown that people who use CBD regularly do not appear to tolerate it over time. This is excellent news if you suffer from a long-term or lifetime condition.
What Are the Side Effects?
Yes. Every medication or treatment has some potential for side effects. For example, Harvard University reports that CBD side effects include:
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Irritability
CBD can also impact coumadin levels and raise levels of certain medications by the same mechanism that grapefruit juice does.
Customize Your Treatment
Working with your provider to create a customized treatment will get you the best results. CBD is most effective when you use it in conjunction with other stress and anxiety-relieving treatments and techniques.
These include:
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Proper nutrition
- Stress management techniques
Your provider will:
- Give advice on the products that will work for you.
- Monitor progress and adjust your intake levels.
- Tell you the medications that do not mix well.
Are You Ready for Relief?
At Emerald Medical Cannabis Clinic, we specialize in treatments that include medical marijuana and CBD. Our integrative approach treats the whole person. Contact us today! We’ll create a customized treatment plan just for you!
Resources
- Image attribution
- Harvard University
- NCBI Research
- World Health Organization
- Sage Publication 2010 study