Anxiety is something we all experience in the course of our lives. It’s perfectly normal. However, it becomes a serious medical condition when it’s extreme and interferes with daily activities. Characteristics of anxiety include worry, tension, high blood pressure, and fear. A survey found that 11.6% of Canadians aged 18 and older reported that they had an anxiety and/or mood disorder.

But what causes all this stress ? In our daily lives, there are circumstances that could potentially make us anxious. Some causes of anxiety include relationship issues, work related problems, addiction, and chronic diseases.

How will you know someone has an anxiety disorder? Symptoms include: having difficulty sleeping, inability to focus, and restlessness.

There’s no specific drug that’s known to treat anxiety. Patients are usually treated by a combination of medication, psychotherapy and behavioural therapy. In recent years, scientists have been able to establish that CBD oil could be used to relieve anxiety.

Finding the Best CBD Oil for Anxiety

The cannabis plant has chemicals referred to as cannabinoids which are responsible for the various effects. The two most popular are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which causes a ‘head high’ and cannabidiol (CBD) which is believed to have therapeutic properties.

If you’re thinking about trying out medical marijuana for anxiety, you need to understand which products to pick. CBD oil is normally extracted from industrial hemp, a cannabis strain that contains high levels of CBD. For this reason, CBD is mostly used because of its medicinal properties. So, how does this cannabinoid work?

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is responsible for balancing and regulating certain processes in the human body such as memory, appetite, immune response, reproduction and fertility, mood, and sleep. The ECS is made up of three components – receptors, enzymes and endocannabinoids.

Guess what, cannabinoids occur naturally in cannabis, hence its various effects when used by humans. The two main endocannabinoid receptors are:

1. CB1 receptors which are in the central nervous system.
2. CB2 receptors which are in the peripheral nervous system.

Studies show that Cannabinoids attach to CB1 and CB2 receptors and aid in reducing anxiety disorders such as Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Click here to view research.

CBD Dosage for Anxiety

Studies on the effects of CBD on anxiety patients suggest that it could be a powerful treatment. A research was done to establish whether CBD helps reduce anxiety.

72 adults were involved in the study. After the first month of using the cannabis product, 57 patients (79.2%) reported decreased anxiety. What’s more, only 3 patients, around 4.2% were negatively affected by CBD use. More on the study.

CBD for Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a mental condition where individuals become highly anxious during social interactions. People with this disorder are usually uncomfortable when they’re ‘out in the open’. They’re afraid that they might offend someone and could be humiliated or embarrassed. This significantly affects quality of life.

Conventional treatments include therapy and use of medications such as antidepressants and sedatives. A study was done to assess the efficiency of CBD treatment for Japanese late teenagers with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The results showed that CBD considerably reduced anxiety and could be an option for patients looking for alternatives. Here’s the full research.

Anxiety disorders are here to stay, considering that triggers will always be there. Research done on CBD oil shows that it could be used as possible treatment. Considering that this form of treatment requires more research, it’s advisable to always consult with an expert.