Many people suffer from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Some turn to prescription drugs, while others seek relief in yoga or meditation. A new trend is emerging that has shown great promise for these disorders: CBD oil. While there are not enough studies done on the topic, those who have used it say it can be a powerful tool for managing their symptoms and improving their quality of life without the risks associated with prescription medication. Here is how CBD can help you maintain your mental health.
The Basics
Cannabidiol, also most commonly known as CBD, is a compound found in the marijuana plant and is the second most active next to THC. There is a misconception that CBD and THC produce the same effects. This is almost true, save for the fact that CBD is not intoxicating whereas THC is – both, however, are psychoactive, just not in the same way.
In terms of how THC can produce an intoxicating effect, this lies in the fact that it has a very similar chemical composition to anandamide, a natural cannabinoid in the human body that binds to CB1 receptors. Because it is so similar. This allows THC to bind to CB1 receptors, and in doing so, restricts the amount of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) that inhibits dopamine release. CB1 receptors also regulate pain, coordination, appetite, and a variety of other functions.
In contrast, CBD doesn’t bind so tightly to CB1 receptors. This actually allows CBD to be more like a modulator, which in turn increases the number of CB receptors and as a result the natural levels of anandamide in the brain, resulting in pain tolerance and mood elevation without the intoxicating effects.
How to use CBD for mental health
When it comes to consuming CBD for your mental health, you’ll need to carefully consider why you are consuming CBD, since the consumption method is very important. There are a variety of different CBD consumption methods, such as vaporizers, dry herb vaporizers, edibles, tinctures, oral sprays, topicals and a lot of these are available at online head shops like Grasscity. Each consumption method has different onset times and duration of effects.
CBD has shown promise in helping people with insomnia to fall asleep. If that is why you are using CBD, for example, then you might want to use a vaporizer since this will allow you to fall asleep relatively quickly as the onset time is between 5 to 10 minutes and lasts around 2 hours. If you have trouble staying asleep then edibles would be your best bet, since they have a duration of between 6 to 8 hours.
If you are needing to consume high concentrations of CBD, then a dab rig might be best for you. If you have anxiety, then you can also consider using a transdermal patch, since this will deliver high concentrations of CBD to your system throughout the day instead of in one large dose.
How your mental health can benefit from CBD
One of the reasons why CBD has risen in popularity is because it seems to have a positive effect on your mental health. Naturally, this has started a lot of research into this topic to see if there are any medical applications of CBD. Two of the most common mental health conditions that CBD has shown promise at treating are anxiety and depression.
More research will need to be done into this topic; however, current research indicates that CBD is effective at reducing anxiety in individuals. One trial had volunteers participate in public speaking. The results of this trial showed that participants who consumed around 300 milligrams of CBD before speaking showed decreased levels of anxiety whilst speaking. Furthermore, research showed that people with social anxiety disorder who consumed 600 milligrams of CBD showed decreased levels of anxiety.
When it comes to treating depression, CBD has shown a lot of promise. Current research indicates that CBD has the potential to work as an antidepressant. This is most likely linked to its ability to interact with serotonin receptors in the brain and affect the way your brain responds to serotonin. CBD has also been shown to have fewer side effects than traditional antidepressant medication.
