Known as a form of cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD) is a substance commonly found in cannabis plants. Unlike most other products gotten from cannabis plants, this chemical cannot get you high, but this doesn’t stop the drug from offering an array of health benefits. One of its main benefits includes its ability to lower depression.
In this article, we will describe how CBD works and explain whether it can help you to lower anxiety or not.
How does CBD work?
There are lots of receptors in the body, and each has a particular role that it plays. These receptors are usually found on cells where they are responsible for getting various signals from certain stimuli. However, each receptor can only interact with some specific stimuli.
According to some studies, CB1 and CB2 receptors are capable of interacting with CBD. Notably, the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system are the main locations where you can find these receptors. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of studies on how CBD interacts with CB1 receptors.
The mechanism behind how CBD works can also be studied from the perspective of serotonin, which is a well-studied neurotransmitter. This neurotransmitter is believed to be capable of affecting your mental health. Individuals with low levels of serotonin often experience depression. In some other situations, such people may struggle with anxiety.
Although there are various treatments for these mental health issues, CBD can be utilised for managing these problems.
Will CBD reduce anxiety?
Having mentioned that there is an association between anxiety and CBD, can CBD reduce anxiety? Foremost, you should realise that lots of studies are still going on concerning how CBD affects anxiety. However, early studies have suggested that CBD may be able to lower anxiety.
A 2015 study reviewed the findings of 49 previous studies. The reviewers reported an interaction between CBD and several kinds of receptors including the serotonin 5-HT receptor, CB1R (cannabinoid type 1 receptor), etc. These receptors have been earlier identified as the brain receptors for managing anxiety-induced behaviors and fear.
As reported in the study, CBD can be used as a treatment for different kinds of anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The findings of this study were supported by various previous studies. A study conducted in 2011 assessed the effect of CBD on individuals involved in public speaking. It was found that CBD lowered discomfort and anxiety in these individuals. In the same year, another study also noted that CBD could reduce the symptoms of anxiety in individuals suffering from a social anxiety disorder.
In a 2019 study, CBD was administered to individuals suffering from sleep deprivation and anxiety. From the findings, 7 out of every 10 participants noted an improvement in their sleep whereas 8 out of 10 people reported they experienced relief in their anxiety. But the level of the effects of CBD varied from one person to another.
However, contrary to the reports of these aforementioned studies, a 2017 study reported that CBD did not help people with paranoia or anxiety. In fact, the chemical worsened the symptoms of anxiety in some of the study participants. This casts some doubts on the effectiveness of CBD for the treatment of anxiety and other related issues.
While the reports of most of these studies are positive, there are some issues you must consider. Foremost, the sample sizes of the majority of these studies are small. Therefore, the results may not be so reliable or representative of a larger population. Besides, the studies have not considered the long-term impacts of using CBD to treat anxiety. As a consequence of this, it is difficult to predict whether CBD will be able to lower the symptoms of anxiety over time or not. However, future studies can address these particular issues to shed more light on the possibility of treating anxiety with this chemical.
It is important to understand that the effect of CBD is not limited to reducing anxiety. It can also aid heart health, depression, and a few other conditions. So, you may want to try out this chemical and see if it can help you. For this, you need to get your CBD from FranklyCBD.com or another dependable site that sells high-quality products.
