The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) claims that up to 72% of people with stress and anxiety say the condition interferes with their overall quality of life. It’s worse for people with full-blown anxiety disorders.
Now, it’s somewhat easy to relieve anxiety using specific prescription medications. But you may not always manage to stay away from life’s stressors. Much of the stress we suffer from emanates from our places of work.
Workplace stress can be positive, such as the anxiety experienced at the prospect of receiving a promotion. It can also be harmful, as is often the case when working against tight deadlines.
But whether positive or negative, workplace stress can suck up your physical and mental energy. Fortunately, CBD has emerged as one of the most effective natural aids against stress and anxiety.
Read on as we highlight how CBD can help you to deal with a bad day in the office.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
More About CBD
CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol. It’s one of the over 100 pharmacologically beneficial extracts obtained from cannabis.
Although the cannabis plant contains hundreds of bioactive chemicals, CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the most widely-studied ones.
CBD differs from THC in that it’s non-psychoactive. In other words, cannabidiol won’t get you stoned.
Over the years, marijuana doctors have continually recommended cannabidiol for the treatment of anxiety. According to experts, CBD might be more effective against anxiety than conventional anti anxiety medications. That’s because the substance doesn’t induce euphoria. Also, CBD presents lower risks of side effects compared to many anti anxiety drugs. In most cases, users report mild and short-lasting episodes of nausea and drowsiness.
It’s also worth noting that tetrahydrocannabinol is not only famous for its psychoactive nature. The compound also has potential healing benefits. Some marijuana experts claim that THC might have more therapeutic benefits than CBD. So, you can use CBD alongside stores that sell synthetic urine to achieve compounded anxiolytic benefits. Delta-8 is simply an isomer of THC.
CBD and Workplace Anxiety
Cannabidiol contains powerful anxiolytic properties that may come in handy in relieving workplace-induced anxiety. When consumed, CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system in a manner that provides relief from stress and anxiety.
It’s not exactly clear how cannabidiol exerts its anxiolytic effects on the endocannabinoid system. However, experts believe that the compound may increase serotonin signaling. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in regulating our mental health.
Low serotonin levels have been observed in people with anxiety and depression. So, by increasing serotonin signaling, cannabidiol might go a long way in treating these conditions.
When CBD enters the body, it treats anxiety by mimicking the behavior of conventional low serotonin medications, also known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Examples of SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft). However, CBD comes with an added advantage in that it doesn’t induce severe side effects.
Are CBD’s anxiolytic properties science-backed?
Numerous studies investigating the potential of cannabidiol to treat anxiety have returned fairly positive findings.
A 2011 study revealed that CBD might relieve social anxiety disorder (SAD). SAD is a disorder where a person experiences sudden, unexplained restlessness at the prospect of being in a public place.
CBD has also demonstrated a remarkable ability to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The compound is especially effective in treating PTSD’s most problematic symptoms, including nightmares and intrusive memories.
Besides SAD and PTSD, cannabidiol might also treat other anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). What’s more, you can also use CBD to manage certain psychiatric disorders that may be aggravated by workplace-induced stress. Some of these conditions include schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
CBD and Insomnia
Anxiety and insomnia are closely related. If you always wind up stressed and anxious at the end of each workday, it will only be a matter of time before insomnia sets in.
Fortunately, this is another area where you can benefit immensely from cannabidiol’s therapeutic properties.
We’ve already highlighted CBD’s ability to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Now, PTSD is often cited as one of the common triggers of insomnia. By relieving it, therefore, CBD can subsequently prevent or treat PTSD-induced insomnia.
It’s also important to note that CBD is a renowned sedative. As such, the compound might combat insomnia by shortening your sleep latency. Sleep latency refers to the average sleep onset time.
Another way cannabidiol might boost your sleep is by prolonging sleep duration. Numerous studies have cited CBD for its ability to shorten rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep refers to a stage during sleep that’s marked by rapid eye movement within the sockets, elevated heart rate, and heightened brain activity. Sleep experts believe that much of the dreaming occurs during this sleep phase. So, eliminating or shortening REM sleep essentially reduces nightmares, allowing you to enjoy a restful sleep.
Lastly, CBD can aid your sleep by treating REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). RBD is a sleep disorder where a person unconsciously dramatizes their dreams.
There are numerous ways CBD might help you out after a stressful day at work. To make the compound work for you, start by choosing a suitable delivery method. For instance, you might want to take a bath using a CBD-infused shower gel. Or, you could add CBD edibles to your dinner for long-lasting benefits against anxiety and insomnia. Most importantly, remember to use CBD sparingly. While pure cannabidiol won’t get you high, an overdose might be counterproductive.
