Some of the most effective and long-term strategies at combating mental illness are those that are holistic; natural approaches that heal the mind while steering away from dulling and altering pharmaceuticals. And although pharmaceuticals are indeed necessary for some, if you are searching for these holistic and clean approaches to combating anxiety, cannabinoid oil (CBD) might just be exactly what you need for the relief you seek from the ill-effects of anxiety.
If anxiety keeps you up at night, there are CBD gummies to help you sleep. If anxiety foggs your brain, CBD can help to clear it. If anxiety instills feelings of fear, CBD will combat this emotion with quite the prowess.
Considering anxiety is one of the leading mental illnesses in the United States, let’s highlight this incredible holistic medicine by exploring exactly how CBD gummies help with anxiety and why it is such a powerful tool at doing so.
The Science of CBD and Anxiety
When wondering if CBD gummies can help with anxiety, the best approach to understanding how and why this is possible is to gain knowledge around the science of CBD and how it works in humans.
CBD is one of many non-psychoactive cannabinoids found in the cannabis Sativa plant. Our brains contain endocannabinoid receptors, of which many control our feelings (both physical and mental), and our body naturally creates endogenous cannabinoids that attach to these receptors. As they attach, the response of what our body feels is changed.
The cannabinoid chemical compound contained in CBD mimics these endogenous cannabinoids that our body naturally creates through our endocrine system. When we ingest CBD in its various forms, because of its similar chemical compositions, the cannabinoids attach to these receptors in our brain without the need for our body to naturally make them.
When looking specifically at anxiety, and also at fear, as anxiety and fear maintain high similarities; the cannabinoids will attach to the parts of your brain that control these emotions. When they attach, this dulls the way your brain processes these negative feelings, thus lowering the effect.
Anxiety is an illness that can be caused and sparked by multiple triggers and reasons. Imbalances in the endocrine system, high levels of stress, other diseases. So many factors. And aside from just the immediate attachment and response to your brain, CBD also promotes other natural bodily functions and glands for whole-body health, another key component of fighting this mental illness.
Hormones and stress, for example. Serotonin is a hormone that plays an integrated role in your mood, sleep, digestion, and behavior. Although CBD does not ‘create’ serotonin, the cannabinoids will still attach to the receptors involved with these emotions and physical responses that have serotonin effects.
Because of this, the CBD will create a positive effect on your brain’s serotonin receptors of which are already there, making them respond to serotonin more effectively and thus mimicking how standard antidepressants work.
Because serotonin lifts your mood, helps you sleep better, and so many other aspects that directly influence anxiety, the positive influence of CBD on your receptor’s ability to register and provide these hormonal benefits is extremely powerful and valuable.
CBD Gummies for Sleep
Although CBD directly reduces feelings of anxiety, both momentary and long term by targeting the brain, CBD can also promote other characteristics of life, one of the most important being sleep.
By taking a few CBD gummies for sleep before you go to bed, the proven benefits of CBD and sleep will hand in hand provide you benefits against anxiety, as sleep and anxiety are always intertwined.
The worse and the less you sleep, the more anxiety can take control. And the worse your anxiety, the worse you sleep!
Anxiety often makes the brain work at high speeds, filling it with endless thoughts of fear and other ideas that keep you up. So by taking CBD, you will help to calm these thought processes and lend for better sleep. And better sleep directly helps your brain to focus on the positive responses to mood and emotional health, lessening your anxiety by making your body more apt to fight it off naturally.
A lot of how CBD enhances your ability to sleep and to sleep well comes down to its effect on cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that helps to coordinate your sleep schedules, and is usually the highest in the morning when you wake up.
People who have trouble sleeping, however, have high levels of cortisol throughout the night, making it hard to fall and stay sleeping. A study showed that participants who consumed 300-600mg of CBD before bedtime had much lower levels of cortisol during the night, making CBD act as a form of natural sedative for the healthy sleep we need to keep all of our bodily functions functioning at their highest levels.
If you notice that your anxiety is adversely affecting your sleep or vice versa, then CBD gummies are an excellent holistic approach to helping to reduce the negative effects of both for a newfound and grounding happiness surrounding life.