The stresses of daily life. 

We’ve all got things in our lives that bring us stress, but when stress weighs you down constantly it can have a real, negative impact on both your mental and physical health. 

Chronic stress essentially trains your brain to be anxious. In the wild, this was a helpful tool for remembering (and hopefully avoiding) bad situations. In modern society, though, stress is pretty much everywhere and we can’t always run from it, and now that once-beneficial tool does more harm than good. When people live with perpetually high levels of stress hormones, the lingering impacts on overall wellbeing can be immense. 

A few of the possible consequences of chronically elevated stress hormones are:

• Heart Disease
• Digestive Problems
• Fatigue
• Weight Gain
• Headaches

We all know living with a lot of stress is bad for you, but what can you do to avoid that? 

How CBD Helps

There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that CBD soothes anxiety & stress. In fact, a recent review published in the journal Neurotherapeutics examined 32 studies on CBD and stress, and concluded that only 1 of the 32 studies did not find promising results. That’s 31 studies in favor of CBD helping anxiety, folks. 

But How?

These studies found two major ways that CBD seems to impact anxiety and stress:

CBD lowers anxiety levels when subjects are exposed to stress. 

– In order to observe how CBD may impact anxiety, researchers conducted a study in which people with Social Anxiety Disorder were made to speak publicly (one of the main phobic stimuli for SAD) with either a dose of CBD or placebo. The CBD group fared much better in terms of anxiety levels than those given the placebo.

– In another study, researchers placed mice dosed with either CBD or placebo in a cage, and then added a boa constrictor to the cage. The mice’s responses were recorded, and mice given the dose of CBD were more likely not to panic and bolt, and instead scan the environment for safe spots. 

CBD makes it easier for subjects to stop fearing ‘triggers’ 

– In these two studies (1,2), subjects are made to fear a random, harmless trigger by associating it with an unpleasant event. In these two cases, a benign trigger is paired with an electric shock until the subjects (mice or humans) associate the trigger with pain. Then, doses of CBD were given, and it was recorded how long it took for the subjects to no longer react in fear when shown the trigger. The practice of learning to let go of triggers when there’s no longer cause for fear is called ‘Extinction Learning’. In both studies, subjects given CBD were less likely to react in fear to triggers- interestingly, this held true even after the CBD wore off. 

So, how can you add CBD to your daily routine without adding even more stress to a packed itinerary?

We have a few ideas! Here’s our take on easy ways to add CBD into your schedule throughout the day!

• Post-Coffee CBD: Take CBD oil under the tongue in the morning after your coffee/tea to bring back that zen state and reduce anxiety that can come from drinking caffeine. 
• Midday Pick-Me-Up: Keep a pouch of CBD gummies in your desk to eat after a particularly stressful meeting.
• Treat Yo’ Self: Do a little self-care after work by giving yourself a CBD lotion foot massage

Before Bed: Make a night time tea with CBD honey for a more restful sleep.