The stats on anxiety and depression are significant. In 2017 alone, 792 million people worldwide suffered from a mental health disorder, including anxiety and depression. The irony is that even though many people struggle with mental health, anxiety, and depression can make us feel isolated and misunderstood.
Addressing anxiety and depression with healthy habits and professionals’ help is your best bet to moving out of the shadows and living your best life. Although traditional medication can help treat these mental health issues, consider something more natural and with more history, one that is proving to be beneficial for a list of mental and chronic health issues. Lately, there’s been a surge in CBD wellness products on the market. Keep reading to find out what it’s all about!
What is CBD?
Cannabinol (CBD) comes from cannabis species, but unlike marijuana, hemp-derived CBD contains less than 0.3 percent THC. Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound that makes users high. Marijuana can hold up to 30 percent of THC, but hemp-derived CBD does not have over 0.3 percent. Accordingly, CBD poses no risk for users, as it cannot make them high, nor is there a risk of overdose.
What are CBD gummies and how can they help? Essentially, CBD gummies are a type of candy that has been infused with CBD and they can be used alongside a list of health issues ranging from pain management to chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. Thanks to it being far safer than marijuana and its legalization in all US states and other countries. It is now far more accessible to find high-quality CBD manufacturers such as CBD Distillery selling CBD products as oil tinctures, edibles, balms, skincare products, and vape liquids.
How can CBD gummies help with anxiety and depression?
CBD gummies are gummies infused with CBD. Although other CBD products can also help with anxiety and depression, CBD gummies have the added advantage of being taken orally. This means you can take them in public as discreetly as possible, especially if you don’t wish to draw attention to yourself.
Moreover, because they are taken orally, CBD gummies take one-to-two hours to work.
Although they start slow, their effects are longer lasting. You can experience the effects of CBD gummies for up to 12 hours, so you have an entire day of benefits without having to resort to more gummies every few hours.
The following are five significant ways CBD gummies can help you with anxiety and depression.
Low THC level
THC can give you that high, but it can also cause you more anxiety and paranoia if you are a naturally anxious person. With CBD gummies, there is no risk of feeling more anxious or paranoid caused by mind-altering effects. CBD gummies containing less than 0.3 percent THC will not make you high. Instead, you will experience a sense of calm and well-being that you have been craving for. There is a scientific reason for these positive feelings, which you can learn about in the next point.
Increase serotonin level
Serotonin is a critical natural mood stabilizer our body secretes from time to time to infuse us with a sense of well-being. Serotonin is known as the happy chemical and is essential because low levels of this chemical have been associated with depression.
CBD can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression by encouraging our body to secrete more serotonin. It does so by signaling to the CB1 and CB2 receptors controlled by the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The latter controls critical functions in the body, from temperature to fertility, pain, and mood. It uses the receptors moving throughout the body to create constant homeostasis — optimal balance — in the body.
Researchers have yet to determine how CBD affects the receptors. Still, they have noted how this natural compound can signal them to implement change by encouraging the release of more serotonin in the body.
Increase GABA level
CBD can help increase GABA levels in the brain to alleviate the negative thoughts that come with anxiety and depression. Gamma-Aminobutyric acid is a vital amino acid that is produced in the brain. It facilitates communication in the brain, but its primary goal is to lower the neurons’ activity on the mind and body and promote relaxation.
Having an adequate GABA level is essential for relieving anxiety and depression symptoms, not to mention its importance for lowering blood pressure, stress, and improving sleep. In preliminary studies, researchers have noted how CBD might increase GABA levels in the brain. It is why CBD users have described this natural compound as an eraser of negative thoughts and emotions.
Lower cortisol level
Cortisol is a vital hormone that helps our body decide whether to go into fight-or-flight mode. It is critical in highly stressful emergencies, but when we are always stressed, cortisol can leave us feeling tired, weaken other bodily functions such as the immune system and lead to weight gain.
Balancing cortisol levels is essential to help the body function optimally and avoid aggravating anxiety and depression. CBD can prove helpful in this area by managing cortisol levels. It can signal to the ECS’s receptors to stop secreting cortisol and give the body respite from the constant struggle between fight and flight mode.
A lower number of panic attacks
Pain attacks are the culmination of ongoing anxious thoughts. Whether they happen outside in the middle of the day or in bed, panic attacks leave us feeling weak, with no energy, and an inability to function normally. It is a challenge to be your best at work and in life when panic attacks are a part of your everyday.
Instead of avoiding everything that might give you a panic attack, it is essential to overcome these attacks so you can enjoy the things that have suddenly turned into threatening situations. CBD can help by lowering the risk of panic attacks in your day-to-day life.
As it lowers your cortisol level and increases serotonin and GABA, you will feel more at ease and peaceful. With more positive feelings, you are less at risk of experiencing the culmination of anxiety through a panic attack.
Final Thoughts
Depression or anxiety should not stop you from living the life you deserve. Although you may feel like it, you are not alone. Seek professional guidance, use mindfulness, talk to loved ones who care, and share what you are going through, so you don’t have to do this alone.
