Top 10 CBD / Anxiety related things to know
Introduction
Index
- Introduction
- 10 Anxiety has a genetic basis.
- 9 Anxiety expands our personal bubble.
- 8 Diet influences anxiety.
- 7 Anxious people are more sensitive to changes in facial expressions.
- 6 Anxiety can impair one’s sense of smell.
- 5 Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety.
- 4 Anxiety may be the catalyst for entering a state of temporary ‘paralysis’.
- 3 Anxiety does have advantages.
- 2 To some degree, it’s all in your mind.
- 1 Physical pain runs in the same circles as anxiety.
Consider trying CBD for anxiety if you’re looking for a medication that’s effective and has few reported negative side effects on the mind or body. The act of addressing anxiety or any other mental health problem for that matter, should certainly not make you feel more anxious.
Anxiety and despair are not the easiest of sentiments to handle. Anxiety is your body’s normal response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may make most people feel fearful and nervous. Anxiety is something that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. You may feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision.
Anxiety disorders, however, are more than just temporary worries or fears. The anxiety does not go away, and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and various phobia-related disorders. Enter CBD, available in both long and fast-acting forms.
Finding the right treatment combination can be a perpetual struggle, leaving patients feeling hopeless and disheartened. Those suffering from anxiety and depression have a myriad of drugs to choose from. And, while these medications can be effective when taken at the right dosage for several months, they come with a long list of potential side effects, some of which are quite severe.
While most herbal remedies are known to have very mild effects, CBD has shown to be highly effective in treating anxiety, particularly when taken at the recommended dosage regularly. The best part is that it has very few side effects, and those that do occur are generally mild.
If you’re new to CBD, we’ve got you covered. We’ll explore how CBD oil can be used to treat mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. We’ll also cover key details like how much CBD to take, as well as a list of the top CBD oils available. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about using CBD to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
The top 10 things you may not know about anxiety:
10 Anxiety has a genetic basis.
Explore our full range of products formulated specifically with anxiety in mind, from our fast-acting CBD vapes to long-acting CBD capsules and edibles. There is a high likelihood that if someone in your family suffers from anxiety, you might too. This introduces the nature vs. nurture debate. Anxiety can be inherited through genes (nature) or developed through behavior (nurture). In 2014, the α-endo mannosidase gene was linked to panic disorder and social anxiety.
Research indicates that nervous parents often inadvertently foster anxiety by delaying independence in their children or by encouraging the avoidance of situations that make them anxious. (While these behaviors are well-intentioned and motivated by love, they can actually exacerbate anxiety in children.) This is not to say that parents cause or create anxiety in their children.
It’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role—genetic predisposition to anxiety makes environmental triggers more potent. Remember, genes do not seal your fate nor do they set the limits of your ability to manage any symptoms you might experience. Anxiety can be managed. No matter where it stems from, there are CBD solutions that can help you navigate your own journey to calmer waters.
9 Anxiety expands our personal bubble.
There is a place for CBD within your personal bubble for anxiety. The term ‘bubble’ has become overly prevalent in today’s language. Never before has something so light and airy taken on such a heavy, negative connotation. Pandemic guidelines have generally encouraged us to increase the space around us. But long before the days of social distancing and masked encounters, we each had an invisible zone around us, often with seemingly impenetrable borders.
Anxiety enlarges this personal space. Everyone has an invisible personal space which they allow others to enter based on emotional and psychological closeness. For those with anxiety, this comfort zone—usually about 10-20 inches from our face—increases. Too close, and we might step back.
If we feel someone’s breath while they speak, we might start to tense up. Speak too loudly, and our ears might start ringing. Sit down uninvited next to us, and we might engage in an impromptu game of musical chairs. In short, anxiety causes our need for personal space to expand. Long-acting CBD products, such as our Natuur line of tinctures, are ideally suited to help us feel more at ease in our surroundings.
8 Diet influences anxiety.
What we eat has been shown to influence our anxiety levels, so it stands to reason that consuming CBD edibles for anxiety would have an effect too. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that people who adhered to a healthier, more ‘traditional’ diet—comprising vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and whole grains—were less anxious than those who consumed a ‘western’ diet filled with processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and alcohol.
Sugar consumption is linked to a range of health issues, including obesity, high blood pressure, and anxiety. It’s also associated with depression, mood swings, and basic functional capacities. If you have a sweet tooth, consider a CBD gummy or CBD chocolate. If you’re looking to cut down on sugar, opt for a long-acting tincture or capsule instead.
Many people crave sugary foods and beverages for the immediate energy boost they provide, but this rush is followed by a crash. The energy released is not stable, and the associated peaks and valleys directly correlate with increases and decreases in anxiety, triggering fight-or-flight stress responses that release a flood of chemicals and hormones, including adrenaline, into your body.
7 Anxious people are more sensitive to changes in facial expressions.
For those who are highly sensitive, a long-acting CBD product might be the best option. Our slow-release products like NOW+THEN capsules or Natuur tinctures are ideal for reducing anxiety when consumed daily at low to moderate doses.
People with anxiety are faster at detecting changes in facial expressions than those without, but they are often less accurate. Due to their tendency to jump to conclusions, anxious individuals more frequently make errors when attempting to interpret the emotional states and intentions of others.
Anxiety can lead to paranoia, and a feeling of being constantly judged or analyzed, as well as coming to rapid conclusions in human interactions. Understandably, this can cause friction and conflict in relationships. If you are prone to anxiety, remember that what you think others are thinking or feeling may not be accurate—your quick perception or anxious state might have led you to a misunderstanding.
6 Anxiety can impair one’s sense of smell.
CBD vaping is a preferred delivery method for those who experience rapid breathing or a loss of sense of smell due to an anxiety attack. Our vape section features a curated selection of disposable and refillable vapes, available in various forms and types of CBD, specifically designed as anti-anxiety remedies.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that anxious individuals tend to identify neutral odors as negative. Normally, only the olfactory (smell) system is activated when processing scents. However, when a person is anxious, their emotional system becomes intertwined with their olfactory processing system.
In the short term, this might increase your heart rate and breathing rate, helping your brain to receive more oxygen. When you are regularly stressed, your body returns to normal functioning. However, if you are constantly anxious and tense, your body never receives the signal to return to normal. As a result, you become more susceptible to viral infections and chronic diseases. Also, if you are prone to anxiety, your regular vaccinations may not work as effectively. Check out our CBD vaping systems from premium brands like Vessel and Jive.
5 Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety.
Will CBD motivate me to exercise more? Not directly, but as CBD for anxiety has been shown to have long-lasting effects on your level of calm and focus, when using long-acting CBD regularly, visiting the gym may become a more frequent physical outlet for you.
When you’re suffering from depression or anxiety, it often feels like the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, getting motivated can make a significant difference.
Regular physical activity can prevent and improve a variety of health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Research on anxiety has shown that, beyond the psychological and physical benefits of exercise, it can also help to improve mood and reduce anxiety.
Although the exact relationship between exercise and anxiety is not fully understood, engaging in physical activity can certainly help to alleviate symptoms of sadness or anxiety and make you feel better. Exercise may also help to prevent depression and anxiety from reemerging after you have recovered. There are numerous CBD recovery products on the market, including our CBD beverages and topicals, which are perfect as a post-workout treat.
The body’s fight-or-flight response is activated when it experiences anxiety. When there is no actual threat to fight or flee from, the stress hormones that have been released have nowhere to go, leading to the physical symptoms of anxiety. Fighting or fleeing is a natural response, and physical exertion is the natural way to conclude this response. Exercise can help to rebalance the neurochemicals in your brain that trigger anxiety symptoms.
4 Anxiety may be the catalyst for entering a state of temporary ‘paralysis’.
Fast-acting CBD vapes and nano-CBD with high bioavailability are well-suited for use prior to high-anxiety events, such as performances or public speaking engagements. According to a study by Harvard Business School, feeling excited about a performance can help reduce anxiety about it. The key lies in relabeling our symptoms or emotions. The way we express and identify our emotions has a significant impact on how we feel.
Many physical characteristics of anxiety and excitement are the same. When you label a feeling as “anxious,” you automatically think about all the things that could go wrong. By reframing it as “excited,” you can achieve a more positive emotional state. The trick is to stay one step ahead of the anxiety before it spirals out of control. There are various ways to consume CBD that might help with this.
3 Anxiety does have advantages.
Nothing about us is entirely positive or completely negative—everything is a mix. While living with anxiety can be incredibly challenging, it can also be immensely beneficial in shaping the person you have become—your choices, your friendliness, your partnership skills, your familial relationships, your leadership qualities, and your work ethic. Keep a combination of daily-use, long-acting CBD products in your arsenal, such as Mota CBD isolate gummies or BIRCH+FOG daily-use capsules, and have a vape on hand as a fast-acting backup.
Anxiety is not a part of who you are; it is something that happens to you occasionally. It’s all part of the human experience, which can be beautiful, messy, and sometimes astonishing.
Anxiety is a health opportunity, a chance to encourage you to adopt healthy long-term practices such as regular exercise, balanced relationships, non-toxic environments, ample rest, a proper diet, and nutritional supplements as needed, including a CBD capsule designed to promote calm and balance—or, in other words, less anxiety.
2 To some degree, it’s all in your mind.
CBD vapes are excellent fast-acting delivery mechanisms for those who need quick relief from anxiety. People who suffer from social anxiety often believe that they do not come across well in social situations. However, according to recent studies, their friends—and even strangers—tend to think they are quite wonderful.
Perhaps due to their sensitivity to the feelings of others, by the time socially anxious individuals speak up, their words have often been carefully considered and chosen for impact—a goal they frequently achieve. Incorporating CBD into your daily routine can gradually reduce your overall anxiety levels, making preparing for social events less daunting each time.
If you have social anxiety, remember that when you allow others to see the real you, they will appreciate you. Although you may have heard this before and might be skeptical, try acting as if it’s true the next time you’re out—it will make a difference to you and to how others perceive you. Also, carry a fast-acting CBD product with you, such as a CBD vape pen. A couple of puffs before entering a social setting might be just what you need.
1 Physical pain runs in the same circles as anxiety.
For those who experience pain and anxiety simultaneously, a combination of long-acting daily-use CBD and a fast-acting CBD topical or sublingual spray can address both conditions at once. Read more in our section on CBD for pain to better understand how to use CBD for pain management.
Anxiety has a strong physical foundation. Every physical symptom is a direct result of the body’s fight-or-flight response, which is activated when it perceives a threat (real or imagined—it doesn’t matter). When the brain detects a threat, it floods the body with a mix of neurochemicals to give the physical tools needed to fight for survival or escape.
Possible physical symptoms include chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, muscle tension, heart palpitations, and stomach pain. Anxiety can be a physically painful experience. Everyone’s body responds differently, but the physical manifestations of an anxiety attack are as real and intense as the emotional ones. Consider a CBD regimen for managing your anxiety that includes a long-acting product like BIRCH+FOG Full Spectrum Nighttime drops, paired with a BIRCH+FOG heating or cooling pain stick.