Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to complete? Or are you facing a change in your life that you weren’t ready for? This feeling is called stress.
It has become such a central part of our daily life that sometimes we can’t even distinguish it as a problem. However, living in a constant state of stress can adversely affect our physical and mental health.
Usually, stress is caused by an external trigger, but sometimes it can be from the inside too. This happens when you let your hectic schedule overcome your ability to perform daily life activities.
People use different medicines and natural remedies daily to combat this overwhelming feeling. One such natural healing remedy is CBD.
People use CBD for stress relief quite commonly due to its relaxing properties. So if you want to know how CBD helps calm your mind and body and what products you need to try out, keep reading.
What is Stress?
When your body faces a challenging situation, it triggers a fight or flight mode to help you cope with it. This circumstance serves as a stressor.
Stress is the sensation of being overwhelmed by a certain challenge. This feeling of not being able to cope with different circumstances can induce mental and physical pressure. Even though it is a normal feeling, being constantly stressed can negatively affect your mind and body.
What Are the Common Causes of Stress?
Both mental and physical triggers cause stress. In addition, any new or challenging situation can cause stress in your body. Furthermore, different emotions can also trigger stress.
For example, 49% of people between the 18 to 24 age group feel stressed due to constant comparison of their life with others. Especially when comparing their looks, women feel more pressure than men due to unrealistic societal standards.
Several big and small factors can cause stress. Below are the top causes of stress in human beings that they experience at one point in life:
- Sudden life changes
- Death of a loved one
- Excessive workload
- Examination or deadlines
- Unrealistic societal standards
- Depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders
- Economic crisis
- Unnecessary comparison
- Overthinking and assumptions
- Being late
- Chronic illness
- Abusive relationships
- Traumatic life events
- Natural disaster
- Constant fear
Even though these factors seem like everyday problems, they can majorly affect the capability of our brain to function normally. Constant exposure to such triggers will release excessive cortisol in our bodies, resulting in severe changes in the body.
It is essential to spot the root cause of your stress to take the necessary actions. Since each individual has a unique coping mechanism, these factors have a different reaction to each individual.
What is the Stress Hormone?
Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is a natural alarm system in our body. It goes off when we are exposed to certain challenging situations.
It is released from our adrenaline glands during pressure, adrenaline rush, and depressive situations. When your adrenaline gets a signal from your brain notifying fear or a challenge, it releases a set amount of cortisol to shut down specific responses in your body.
This hormone affects almost all the organs in your body to help regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, stress response, fat burning, etc. However, excessive production of this hormone can adversely affect your body.
Too much cortisol in your body triggers weight gain, diabetes, easily bruised skin, and muscle weakness. On the other hand, having less cortisol in your body can make you dull, weak, lose appetite, and have darkness on skin folds. It can also cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
What Are the Symptoms of Stress?
Now, you know what causes stress. But do you know how to spot if your body is under stress? Human beings are complex creatures, and our bodies have a unique way of signaling any imbalance.
It is essential to look out for these symptoms as they can easily become fatal.
People who consistently feel stressed even experience suicidal thoughts. A survey showed that 16% of the population who dealt with everyday stress in their life have self-harmed.
Here are the symptoms that you need to pay attention to:
- Loss of appetite
- Constant muscle and joint pain
- Jitters and tremors
- High and low blood pressure
- Persistent headache
- Weakened immune system
- Teeth grinding
- Shaking your hands or feet unknowingly
- Digestive disorders
- Trouble during intercourse
- Insomnia or disturbed sleep cycle
- Constant mood swings
- Fist or jaw clenching
- Lack of concentration
- Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks
- Dizziness and fatigue
Unlike other medical conditions, there are no tests to diagnose stress. Instead, psychologists notice different symptoms in your body to understand how your body reacts to environmental pressure.
Therefore, it is important to self-evaluate and get professional help at the right time.
Can Chronic Stress Put My Health at Risk?
Stress might sound like a common emotion that we have to deal with daily. But it can be far more dangerous for our health if we don’t develop a healthy coping mechanism.
When exposed to an environmental trigger, your body gets hormonal signals that put you in a fight or flight mode.
This reaction is essential to deal with the different challenges life throws at us. However, feeling this consistently throughout your life can be harmful as it overproduces cortisol and adrenaline in your body. As a result, your natural body processes may get hindered.
When your body is unable to get rid of these hormones, it results in several abnormalities like:
- Acne and excessive sebum production
- Sudden weight gain
- Anxiety and depression
- Aches in different parts of your body
- Heart attack, high blood pressure, or stroke
- Memory or vision loss
- Premature birth in pregnant women
- Sleeping problems
- Delayed menstruation cycle
- Consistent muscle spasms
These illnesses are directly linked to stress which can further translate into fatal diseases. Therefore, it is important to figure out the cause of stress, limit exposure to the triggers, and develop a healthy coping mechanism.
CBD for Stress Relief
CBD products have become increasingly popular during the past few years because of several potential benefits. This beneficial ingredient is known to relax your body and calm your mind.
Here is how CBD can help you reduce stress naturally:
Helps Relax Your Mind and Body
A 2015 study showed that CBD has the potential to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.
In addition, since CBD reacts with our endocannabinoid system, it helps keep us in a calm state.
Furthermore, considering the results of a 2020 study, CBD can be used as a remedy for stress relief. It also stated that CBD shows therapeutic results to relieve stress faced by Parkinson’s disease patients.
Efficiently Increases Focus
THC-free CBD products can be beneficial for a quick mood boost and increasing focus. As explained in a 2014 research paper, CBD may act as a wake-promoting agent in some consumers. It helps you stay focused, improving your productivity throughout the day.
Another 2020 research shows that CBD improves cerebral blood flow in patients suffering from memory problems. Lack of concentration and memory loss are symptoms of severe stress. It means CBD can help target different symptoms that signal unwanted pressure on your mind and body.
Induces a Better Sleep
Lack of sleep is one of the significant side effects faced by overstressed individuals. It can lower the quality of your life and decrease productivity.
The relaxing, therapeutic properties of CBD can be the potential help of primary sleep disorders like insomnia and daytime sleepiness, as per a 2017 study.
Furthermore, it reduces nightmares among PTSD patients, directly resulting in undisturbed sleep. CBD cannot be used as an approved medicine to treat sleep-related problems with more controlled clinical research. But undoubtedly, the findings are promising until now.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Stress can cause high or low blood pressure in individuals, depending upon how their body reacts to the situation. A 2020 study concludes that CBD can help regulate cortisol levels in clinically high-risk psychosis patients.
With CBD, they can have a controlled reaction to the stressors. As a result, the patients can experience a balanced heart rate.
Furthermore, according to 2011 research, social anxiety disorder patients who consumed CBD had better blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance than those in the placebo group.
Pros and Cons of CBD for Stress Relief
Using CBD for stress relief comes with its pros and cons. Here is what you need to know about them:
Pros
- CBD is known as a potential stress reliever.
- It helps relax your mind and body naturally.
- You can decide on CBD dosage according to your tolerance and requirement.
- It is easy to use and comes in various forms.
- CBD is a relatively safe remedy with little to no side effects.
Cons
- CBD products don’t work for everyone.
- These products can be a bit expensive.
- They do not have immediate effects.
- More clinical research is required to confirm the medicinal benefits of CBD.
Correct Dosage of CBD for Stress Relief
It is easy to chug down an unhealthy amount of CBD products when you are stressed since they have a slower onset time. In addition, CBD products won’t work as fast as conventional medicines.
Therefore, you need to have the patience to let the compound dissolve in your bloodstream.
It is essential to know the correct dosage to avoid any side effects. Dosage may differ from one person to another. However, as a general rule, you can start with 10 to 15 mg of CBD if you are a beginner. Seasoned users can take up to 1500 mg of CBD per day.
Top CBD Products for Combating Stress
Want to use CBD for stress relief? Here are the ten best CBD for stress relief products that may help you live a better and calmer life.
Lazarus Naturals Relaxation CBD Capsules
Consuming CBD can be a lot easier when it comes in the form of capsules. These Lazarus Naturals Relaxation CBD Capsules are the easiest way to get rid of stress to CBD and other stress-relieving ingredients.
Price
$9.99 – $119.99
Why it Can Help
These miracle stress-relieving capsules come with the goodness of Ashwagandha, Chamomile Extract, L-Theanine, Organic Brown Rice Flour, Coconut Oil, Vitamin B6, and CBD isolate. With the blend of these premium quality ingredients, you may feel a sense of relaxation and calmness in your body.
Each capsule contains 25 mg of CBD, ideal for combatting stress and anxiety. These capsules are also vegan and THC-free.
CBD Daily Soothing Serum Rollerball
Sometimes all you need is a targeted stress relief solution for specific areas of your body. For example, if your body shows constant signs of stress, CBD Daily Soothing Serum Rollerball may help you fix that.
Price
$14.99
Why it Can Help
This travel-size roller bag can be your instant stress relief partner with the 30 mg natural hemp CBD oil concoction. It is a fast-absorbing roller ball that soothes sore muscles and helps relieve headaches.
It is vegan and THC-free. Moreover, it is also leaping bunny certified. So apply it directly to the targeted area and allow the ultra-concentrated CBD oil to show its magic.
cbdMD Botanicals Moroccan Rose Moisture Mist
If you don’t love using moisturizers but still want your skin to stay hydrated, the cbdMD Botanicals Moroccan Rose Moisture Mist might become your favorite skincare product.
Price
$42.99
Why it Can Help
This gentle mist is a perfect skincare product to achieve that radiant glow while hydrating your skin. It consists of CBD, CBG, CBN, and terpenes and is THC-free. It is perfect for soothing your skin without intoxication or dependency.
Its rich ingredient list includes Linoleic Acid, which helps remove excess oil from your pores while gently cleansing your skin, leaving it completely refreshed. Simply shake the bottle and spray it on your face anytime throughout the day to get rid of dryness and acne caused by stress.
Conclusion
The medicinal use of cannabis dates back to ancient Asia. Nowadays, various components of the plant are separated to yield different benefits. CBD is the most used component of the cannabis plant due to its countless potential benefits that don’t cause a euphoric high.
With the help of CBD-based wellness products, you can keep everyday stress at bay. While more research is required to regard CBD as the ultimate cure for stress, users still swear by its calming properties.
We have selected high-quality products to suit each budget and consumer preference that may help relieve stress and anxiety. So, try incorporating CBD for stress relief in your life to experience a relaxed state of mind.