CBD & Anxiety Disorders: Can CBD Oil Help You Manage Your Condition?

Every year cannabis covers more areas of its application. CBD products seem to be a great alternative to modern medicines and a long-awaited solution for many illnesses. Nowadays, the use of CBD oil, CBD vape pens or CBD gummies is not something new or unusual. But what is CBD, and how does it work for managing anxiety? Let's find out more about this product and its potential benefit for anxiety.

Primary Reasons For Anxiety Disorders

The feeling of anxiety is a normal body reaction to specific events, but it may also lead to suffering from an anxiety disorder when experienced regularly. Anxiety can be both a short-term and a long-term condition. In the case of temporary tension, it usually revolves around worrying about future events. A permanent feeling of anxiety, on the other hand, involves a number of mental illnesses accompanied by feelings of anxiety and fear.  So, how does anxiety become chronic?

• Genetic predisposition. Such disorders are partly genetic, but research on twins showed that in 30-40% of cases, genetics have an impact on individual anxiety differences and how we respond to stress. That's why we shouldn't forget about the importance of relatives' mental disorders history;
• Environmental factors. Studies confirmed that socialising with people, friendships, school environment, and lifestyle are also connected to future anxiety. It mostly occurs in childhood and declines by teenage years;
• Child abuse. Family relationships, child abuse, neglect, and poverty also play an essential role in the appearance of anxiety.
• Drug use. Consumption of various medications and narcotics, including alcohol, caffeine and benzodiazepines;
• Stress. Chronic stress trains your brain to avoid tension in the future; however, it will either make you more resilient or more vulnerable to future mental distress.

Unfortunately, anxiety is often manifested into further even more damaging forms: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a state when you worry excessively for no logical reason about various things and events. Such a condition is considered a GAD when it lasts more than six months. In a mild case, it doesn't affect performance and allows you to carry on with all everyday activities. On the other hand, a more severe diagnosis has a negative impact and can change your lifestyle. Social anxiety disorder involves a paralysing fear of social situations, the worry of being judged or humiliated by others. People with social anxiety disorder often feel alone and ashamed. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Any traumatic experience such as a natural disaster, war or physical attack can cause PTSD. The impact is usually immediate, and it can last for years. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD may experience intrusive and unwanted thoughts that become a real obsession. Common obsessions include constant worry about cleanliness, the need for symmetry and counting or checking something. Phobia is a symptom defined by a persistent urge to avoid the feared object or situation. These include fear of enclosed places (Claustrophobia), fear of heights (Acrophobia), fear of the dark (Achluophobia), etc. Panic disorder causes panic attacks, spontaneous feelings of anxiety, or terror. Physical symptoms may occur at any time and include heart palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The great news is that treatment can help to manage your symptoms of constant stress or relieve suffering from any of these problems. So, can the use of CBD oil for anxiety be helpful for improving the quality of your life?

First: What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating, active compound and one of more than 100 cannabinoids that are naturally obtained from the cannabis plant. With its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential, CBD has been shown to feature a wide range of healing and remedial properties. Unlike its fellow compound Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it's also completely intoxicating. This means that you are free to sample its therapeutic benefits without risking feeling 'high' or intoxicated.

CBD Oil For Anxiety: Can It Help Your Condition?

Cannabidiol has been proven to be particularly effective at treating anxiety because of the way that it works in our endocannabinoid system (ECS). Our endocannabinoid system is a complex signalling system located throughout our body that helps our bodily functions to achieve a state of balance. It is also effective at modulating stress and anxiety in the brain, specifically in the amygdala. The ECS has been proven to help regulate the stress response that is triggered in the amygdala when the brain isn't responding to a real threat. This prevents our brains from reacting disproportionately to a perceived threat, and it helps to keep feelings of anxiety at bay. When someone consumes CBD, it thought to support the function of their ECS, so this is the main reason why cannabidiol is effective at reducing the symptoms of chronic anxiety and a range of other different anxiety disorders, such as the ones listed below.

• CBD for generalised anxiety - CBD has been proven to reduce stress in rats with a generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Results showed decreased behavioural signs of anxiety as well as improved physiological symptoms like a reduced heart rate;

• CBD for other forms of anxiety - CBD can also be beneficial for people with other forms of anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Studies have shown that after regular CBD oil treatment, individuals experience a decrease in anxiety levels. In addition to this, CBD can also help to regulate anxiety-related insomnia;

When it comes to reducing symptoms of PTSD, CBD has been shown to reduce the frequency of nightmares as well as the replaying of negative memories that are associated with the condition. However, its results have been shown to be more effective when it is used alongside traditional treatments such as prescribed medications and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT);

• CBD for other neurological disorders - In numerous studies, CBD has also been shown to improve other neurological disorders, as well as general cognitive function. Due to CBD's ability to promote the growth and the development of brain cells, it has the power to prevent cognitive decline in the older generation and can also intercept the development of cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's. The cannabinoid can also improve concentration, strengthen memory, and reduce the occurrence and severity of migraines and headaches.

Furthermore, the compound's anti-seizure properties also can successfully lower epileptic symptoms, and it's antipsychotic qualities help it to improve the acute symptoms of schizophrenia.