For many people, the first time they heard of hemp oil was probably from a friend who touted it as a relaxation aid. While the applications of hemp oil are constantly growing, its ability to “mellow out” users is utilized by many as an aid for sleeplessness, depression, and anxiety. Especially in recent years, more and more users have begun to recommend hemp products for anxiety.
Anxiety disorders are probably one of the most common mental health issues people have to deal with in their lives. Though we all experience levels of anxiety occasionally, chronic anxiety has become a huge burden on the lives of the people it affects. Anxiety has as many forms as it does treatments including general anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorders. The common thread of all these disorders is that they create feelings of dread, nervousness, and panic for sufferers that can make it almost impossible for patients to stay productive in their day to day lives.
Many anxious users of marijuana testify that using marijuana can really help to reduce anxiety. Despite these testimonies, you have definitely heard of people smoking marijuana and “freaking out” or having a panic attack. So how is it that marijuana can have both of these effects on users? The root of this issue is that marijuana contains a multitude of cannabinoid chemicals, mainly tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (hemp oil). Unlike THC, hemp oil can be isolated from hemp as well as from marijuana. Hemp is ideal for hemp oil production because it does not contain significant levels of THC.
Hemp oil works by affecting the endocannabinoid system, a series of receptors in the nervous system. These receptors bind with THC, hemp oil, and other cannabinoids. Though we have known for a long time that marijuana can affect brain chemistry, in recent years more detailed research has been conducted on these effects. The mechanisms of hemp oil’s action in the brain resembles that of anxiolytics, the class of drugs that have been used to treat anxiety disorders.
The most common ways to combat these attacks have always been either daily medications like antidepressants or emergency anti-anxiety benzodiazepines. Both of these treatments can be effective at combating the symptoms of anxiety, but also can induce states of apathy, undesirable changes in mood, and a host of other side effects.
Despite the effectiveness of drug treatments, many anxiety sufferers find the side effects of these treatments can sometimes outweigh the relief they provide. These treatments also require setting up an appointment with a psychiatrist to obtain a prescription, an experience that can cause undue anxiety for many. Natural treatments for anxiety provide an avenue for many sufferers to experience relief without having to be placed under the microscope of the mental health system.
It’s important to note that natural treatments such as hemp and marijuana are not necessarily safer, as all chemicals that work on the brain will affect everyone differently. The most notable benefit of natural treatments is sourcing. There is definitely a comfort in knowing that the treatments we put in our bodies come from a plant rather than a laboratory. For this reason, along with their effectiveness, hemp and marijuana-based treatments have become much more popular with anxiety patients.
When dealing with marijuana, the ratio with which cannabinoid chemicals are found in depends on the strain, cultivation, and any number of other factors. One day you might encounter a strain that favors hemp oil, and next, a strain with a high THC content. THC, the chemical that gets you “high,” can often lead to feelings of euphoria and cognitive impairment. A common side effect of this impairment is a tendency to let the mind wander. For those users with anxiety, the meandering thought pattern caused by THC can lead to paranoia and fixation on anxiety triggers. Once this happens, it can be hard to recover a positive mental state. For this reason, many believe that marijuana actually causes their anxiety to become worse.
What those who suffer from anxiety don’t realize is how hemp can help. While THC can cause a suite of mental effects that some users enjoy, the effects of hemp oil products for anxiety tend to be much more gentle and cause less cognitive impairment. Instead of affecting your thought patterns and making you “high,” hemp products can lessen the grip of emotion on the thought process. It also relieves a lot of the physical sensation of tightness and discomfort caused by stress. Many users report that hemp oil, as opposed to straight marijuana, offers significant relief to their anxiety symptoms.
In addition to these benefits, hemp oil offers users several ways to manage their anxiety. Through different methods of consuming hemp oil, the dosage can be tailored to fit the user’s needs. For users who suffer from frequent anxiety attacks, regular doses of hemp oil can act as a preventative measure. Products like our hemp oil tinctures can be used to maintain small, controlled, doses of hemp oil as needed. It’s as easy as placing a drop of the tincture under the tongue. From here the hemp oil is absorbed into the permeable tissue under the tongue and eventually reaches the nervous system. This method of dosage produces a swift but drawn out effect that can help to prevent anxious thoughts throughout the day.
For users who experience panic attacks, hemp oil products for anxiety can be a fast acting source of relief. Our high-quality hemp flower can be smoked or vaporized for nearly instant relief. Unlike dosing through tinctures, using flower distributes the hemp to the bloodstream directly through the airway. This causes it to reach the nervous system very quickly. The speed of delivery rivals or even exceeds the onset time of anti-anxiety benzodiazepines, which enters the body through the digestive system.