When anxiety is not helping us survive, but rather keeping us from thriving
For most people, anxiety is a normal response to situations that are dangerous or stressful. When it’s doing its job, that fight-or-flight response is there to keep us safe.
But when that response occurs in less-helpful situations, it can seriously interfere with our lives. After all, common anxiety triggers like giving a presentation at work or being in a crowded space generally aren’t unsafe. For many of us, though, these scenarios can feel like a serious threat.
When anxiety is not helping us survive, but rather keeping us from thriving, many of us look for treatments to help manage those symptoms. Whether we turn to medication and therapy, or exercise and meditation, there are a lot of ways to approach managing anxiety. But can CBD oil help?
Read on to learn the top five things that you need to know about taking CBD for anxiety.
1. Unlike THC, CBD Will Not Make You Feel “High”
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a naturally occurring compound in the cannabis plant. CBD is related to THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
Unlike THC, though, CBD does not induce the same effects you would feel from smoking marijuana.
While THC can bring on tingling sensations, minor hallucinations, and in some cases mild paranoia and anxiety, CBD has more calming effects. While everyone’s experience is a little bit different, most people say that CBD makes them feel relaxed throughout their body. Others say it makes them feel slightly sleepy.
Most importantly for people who suffer from anxiety, CBD is also known for its calming effects. These can be beneficial if you’re feeling anxious, hyperactive, or stressed out.
2. There Is Some Promising Research On CBD And Anxiety
Researchers have conducted a number of studies involving CBD and anxiety.
In one study from 2011, scientists divided participants with social anxiety disorders into two groups. They gave the first group a single dose of CBD and they gave the second group a dose of a placebo. The researchers also gathered a third group of people who didn’t have social anxiety disorders to use as a baseline control.
Then, they asked the participants to take a public speaking test and monitored their responses.
Compared to the placebo group, the CBD group demonstrated lower anxiety, less cognitive impairment, and more comfort. And compared to the control group, the CBD group performed at basically the same level.
In the end, researchers concluded that the CBD helped participants with social anxiety issues operate just as calmly and comfortably as people with no anxiety disorders.
3. CBD Is Not Yet A Proven Treatment For Anxiety
While some studies showed people with anxiety having positive results from taking CBD, others found CBD to be less effective.
In a 2018 study, researchers gave 38 healthy participants either CBD or a placebo, then asked them to complete several tasks designed to measure their responses to negative stimuli. At the end, the researchers observed that the CBD had no significant effect. CBD did not reduce the participants’ responses to negative stimuli, and the CBD group exhibited the same responses as the control group.
We cannot draw conclusive facts about CBD from these two studies alone. Instead, they demonstrate the varying responses to the compound and remind us that there’s more room for future research.
4. The Endocannabinoid System Is the Key to CBD’s Effects
Most of CBD’s effects come from its interaction with your endocannabinoid system (ECS).
CBD and THC (along with dozens of other cannabis-based compounds) are known as phytocannabinoids. That’s because they interact with a system of transmitters and receptors in the body which is known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
This system exists in most animals on the planet, and plays a role in a wide variety of bodily processes. From managing your mood, appetite, memory, and pain levels, the ECS is a complex part of your body.
Phytocannabinoids are able to interact with the ECS because they closely resemble chemicals that the body produces naturally.
CBD also seems to increase levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and glutamate, which affect learning, memory, and sleep — all things that can trigger or increase anxiety. So by adjusting the levels of these neurotransmitters, CBD may help lower anxiety.
5. CBD May Interact With Other Drugs
Since CBD comes from cannabis, you may wonder if CBD might negatively interact with other medications.
CBD’s potential for drug-drug interactions lies in a group of enzymes in the liver. These enzymes, called cytochrome P450, or CYP, are responsible for metabolizing CBD as well as other medications.
This means that CBD competes with some other medications for those CYP enzymes. Depending on how the specific drug is metabolized, the result is either an increase or reduction in the effects from CBD and the medication.
So, you may feel like you’ve either taken a higher or lower dose, but overall effects of this competition depend on the other medication.
Officially, the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed a number of human and animals studies involving CBD. WHO concluded CBD to be generally well tolerated and relatively safe for most people to ingest.
But if you are taking other medications, it’s a good idea to let your doctor know that you’re adding CBD into the mix. They can help you adjust the dosage of your other prescriptions so that you’ll continue to get the greatest benefit possible.
By Nic Nootens
Image – easypayhey(p)
