CBD for Anxiety and Stress

cbd and anxiety, stress
cbd and anxiety, stress

Can CBD help anxiety?

Firstly, there is an emerging consensus among medical researchers that CBD has therapeutic benefits for treating anxiety in an alternative therapy context. For instance, the effects of CBD can help treat generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and the anxiety component of PTSD. However, CBD is not an anxiety treatment in-and-of itself and should never take the place of licensed professional therapy. We encourage our customers to ask their GP, counsellor, or therapist to see if CBD is right for them. 

To learn more, why not check out our blog post on Women and Anxiety here

Research suggests that CBD may have a positive affect on anxiety and could be used to support treatments for a variety conditions. CBD (Cannabidiol) is a chemical compound present in the hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). CBD is natural plant extract and manufacturers such as HempWell can combine CBD with an oil, cream or balm. People can purchase CBD Oil as a food supplement in the UK and most other counties.

Dawn Snape, Assistant Director of Sustainability and Inequalities Division, Office for National Statistics, says on the UK governments Office for National Statistics:

“Our figures show that the equivalent of 19 million adults in Great Britain report high levels of anxiety.

“One particularly striking finding is that 39% of people who are married or in a civil partnership, reported high levels of anxiety. This compares with 19% pre-pandemic.”

Another marked change is in those aged 65 years or older. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic we consistently saw lower anxiety ratings in those aged 65 years and older, but now we are seeing the highest levels of anxiety amongst this group”.

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Research and evidence around CBD and anxiety

One of the heavily researched areas of CBD is how it may affect anxiety and stress disorders. Several studies point to the potential benefits of CBD for anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety

For generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says that CBD has been shown to reduce stress in animals such as rats. That is to say, study subjects were observed as having lower behavioural signs of anxiety. Their physiological symptoms of anxiety, such as increased heart rate, also improved.

Most importantly, more research needs to be done, specifically on humans and GAD. For other forms of anxiety CBD may also benefit people with other forms of anxiety, such as social anxiety disorder (SAD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It may help treat anxiety-induced insomnia as well.

In 2011, a study researched CBD’s effects on people with SAD. Participants were given an oral dose of 400 milligrams (mg) of CBD or a placebo.

Those who received CBD experienced overall reduced anxiety levels. Multiple recent studies have shown that CBD can help with PTSD symptoms, such as having nightmares and replaying negative memories. Furthermore, these studies have looked at CBD as both a standalone PTSD treatment as well as a supplement to traditional treatments like medication and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

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If you want to keep learning about CBD, or didn’t find what you’re looking for, why not check out CBD for Mental Health or find out how CBD products can help you through the day with CBD for General Wellbeing.

Clinical study shows CBD has anti-anxiety affect on public speakers

A clinical study conducted in 2018 investigating how CBD interacts with people with Public Speaking anxiety found that compared to placebo, pre-treatment with 300 mg of CBD significantly reduced anxiety during the speech. Although this was only a small study conducted on 57 males, the conclusion was that the findings confirmed the anti-anxiety-like properties of CBD and are consonant with results of animal studies. As with most early studied on CBD, the sample size was small and more research still needs to be undertaken.

CBD for stress

If you’re looking to learn about a CBD product may help someone dealing with stress, why not start here; CBD for Stress: An Introduction.

Anxiety and stress are very related subjects. The potential of CBD to help people deal with anxiety may have some transferrable affects to stress. However, more research is needed to fully understand how CBD can help with stress. If you are taking medication for chronic stress disorders such as PTSD, it would always be advised to speak to your doctor or GP about trying CBD. Anecdotal evidence may suggest that CBD can be effective at treating stress and our customers love our CBD Oils for this purpose. If you’re curious about CBD why not try our CBD Gummies, a delicious way to start your CBD journey with a low and controllable dose.

Recommended CBD products for Anxiety and Stress

CBD for anxiety and stress FAQs

Does CBD help anxiety?

Yes. Research has found CBD to be an effective anti-anxiety agent. While more information is needed in clinical experiments, many studies have shown the benefits of CBD in managing a variety of anxiety-related disorders. Click here to read more.

Does CBD stop stress?

While CBD cannot simply “stop” stress, it can be effective at dealing with the underlying causes. You can learn by reading our CBD and Stress: An Introduction article.

What dose of CBD should I take for anxiety?

Everyone’s dosage can be different and it’s important to find the right amount of you. As a start we’d recommended checking out our CBD dosage guide. When you first order with us, you’ll receive a free leaflet with a CBD diary on the back, to help you track which dosage works for you. Feel free to contact us anytime to talk about your dosage, we are always happy to help.

Is CBD legal in the UK?

CBD is legal in the UK. UK regulations state that CBD oil is legal so long as it contains no THC. Our CBD is regularly checked by third party labs to make sure our products are safe and legal. These reports are always available to view on our website, and we’re proud to be one of the first companies to have their products listed on the FSA’s new approved CBD products list. When you buy CBD from HempWell, you can rest assured that you’re receiving high quality, ethical CBD products.

Is CBD safe to use?

CBD is completely safe.Our CBD isolate has a guaranteed purity of at least 99.9%. We extract our CBD from hemp we grow ourselves, so we know exactly what it’s made of! We regularly have our oils tested by third-party labs to make sure there’s quality in every bottle. You can check out our lab reports here to see results from these tests.

Can I take CBD for anxiety or stress while on medication?

Consult your doctor if you’re thinking of taking CBD while on medication.

How long does CBD take to work?

CBD has short and long term effects. In the short term, depending on how you choose to take CBD, you will begin to feel effects from anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours; you can find more information on individual products here. However, CBD can also have a longer term effect on you and your body. As you continue to take CBD, some will stay in your body, and slowly build up to further help your endocannabinoid system. As a rule of thumb, we recommend that you use CBD consistently for at least 2 weeks to begin to see the full effects of our products.

Can I give CBD to my pet?

You can give CBD to pets, but be aware they need a much smaller dose than humans. CBD is becoming increasingly popular to help pets with anxiety, however be aware that much less research has been done into CBD in animals than in humans. If you are planning to give CBD to your pet, start with an extremely low dose (we would recommend a half dose of our 500mg CBD oil), and increase slowly up to a full dose if required. We do not recommend giving CBD to any animals smaller than cats. We recommend consulting with your vet before giving CBD to animals.