While the importance of mental health is more relevant than ever, the rise of anxiety in all its forms dominates daily life and conversations. From small daily worries to worries that have been dragged on for years, here we will examine CBD to see if it can provide a natural answer to one of the biggest problems in the world today: anxiety.
COPING WITH ANXIETY
On average, 30% of British people will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), published by NHS Digital, shows that depression and anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems, affecting one in six adults.1 And it’s these alarming statistics that confirm just how prevalent this problem is.
It is perfectly normal to feel anxious in certain everyday situations. When something seems complicated, threatening, or scary, such as a job interview, money worries, or relationship problems, then anxiety kicks in. Our bodies naturally kick in to make our thoughts more alert, while giving us physiological feedback that results in increased heart rate and sweating. And while this can be beneficial in some cases, acute and chronic long-term anxiety can be extremely unhelpful and ultimately debilitating. From minor issues, such as the universal fear of public speaking, to more serious afflictions, such as the inability to socialize, perform basic routine tasks, or predisposition to panic attacks, anxiety can have a significant effect on our lifestyle. To make matters worse, more than half of those with an anxiety disorder have concurrent symptoms of depression.
It’s no wonder that the rise of anxiety coincides with a more global mental health crisis. Therefore, longer waits for treatment often lead to more complications. As a result, this wait, coupled with increased pressure on the health care system, has created a growing market for home remedies for anxiety. Without the proper professional help, individuals are privately seeking a way to calm their nerves and restore some natural calm to their lives – and that’s where CBD comes in. Hemp extract, which has been used for thousands of years, is hailed by many people around the world as a natural way to manage pain and facilitate sleep: CBD is now increasingly being associated with a potential way to relieve people with anxiety symptoms.
WHAT IS CBD AND DOES IT RELIEVE ANXIETY?
Present among more than 100 natural components, cannabidiol (CBD) is a totally non-psychoactive extract of the plant: it is filtered to remove 100% of the THC content. This cannabinoid reacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system to give users the benefits of cbd oils without the unwanted “high”.
CBD works by interacting with one of the body’s own regulatory systems, called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). We have endocannabinoid receptors almost everywhere in the body and it is part of our nervous system. We find them most abundantly in the brain but also in the gut, reproductive system, bones, and immune cells.
The ECS plays an essential role in the body’s maintenance of important functions such as mood, memory, stress, sleep, behavior, appetite, pain, immune function, and reproductive health. The body naturally produces chemicals called endocannabinoids, which bind to endocannabinoid receptors and regulate all of the above functions. This is why the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in maintaining our overall health.
So, for those who suffer from anxiety (no matter the level of severity), CBD is a way to help restore balance in your body – working naturally to reduce your sense of prolonged anxiety and end other psychological and physiological effects as a result.
Dennis N. McGill
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