Does CBD Affect Mental Performance?
If you have a full life, you might feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to achieve every ambitious goal on your sprawling list. Suppose you’re cognitively healthy and your doctor has ruled out any medical cause that may be contributing to your difficulty focusing.
In that case, you’re probably wondering what you could be doing differently to improve your productivity and help you conquer tasks with grace and ease.
The internet poses a lot of suggestions, and some have more merit than others. While CBD isn’t some kind of miracle tool for focus, it can be beneficial as part of a wellness ritual designed to help you achieve your goals.
THC Affects the Brain Much Differently Than THC
When discussing how cannabinoids affect the brain, defining the distinction between THC and CBD is essential.
THC comes from cannabis, and CBD most commonly is derived from the same plant. These cannabinoids serve two very different functions within the plant, and they also serve two very different functions within your brain and body.
Cannabinoid receptors exist throughout your brain and body.
Some cannabinoids bind to these receptors and produce specific effects. Others interact with these receptors and change the way your body sends messages to itself.
How THC Reacts With Receptors
THC binds to your cannabinoid receptors and sticks around. While it’s there, it changes messaging in a way that gets you high—your perception of reality changes. You may feel euphoric, tired, hungry, or even anxious due to these signal changes.
In some cases, these changes may be beneficial. Medical cannabis users often report that the sleepy feeling or hungry feeling is helpful for their unique case. Other people report that THC changes their perception of discomfort.
People who aren’t looking to address medical concerns through the use of THC may not want to ingest it at all. After all, cognitive impairment is the exact opposite of enhanced mental performance.
How CBD Reacts With Receptors
CBD doesn’t have an affinity for binding to cannabinoid receptors. Instead, it influences these receptors by interacting with them. It doesn’t stick around to produce psychoactive effects. It prefers to excite receptors and inspire productive messaging without producing any side effects.
Most people report that the excitement CBD causes produces a mild calming effect that helps them reach a state of homeostasis. They feel like the best version of themselves when they use CBD.
CBD may help promote mental clarity, helping the body relax at bedtime, soothing the mind and body during periods of exercise recovery, and easing tension. CBD doesn’t do this all on its own. It helps to support the body in its own quest to naturally facilitate these processes.
Common Factors That Impact Mental Performance
Suppose you feel like you’re underperforming and your healthcare professionals have eliminated any underlying conditions that could contribute to your lack of focus. In that case, there are a few simple factors you might want to examine.
Plenty of factors can contribute to concentration difficulty, and many of them fall under four umbrellas.
Tiredness and Fatigue
If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’re going to have trouble concentrating. Your body needs time to recharge. If you’re trying to solve complex math problems when every cell in your body is begging you for a nap, you’re going to find yourself in an exhausting tug of war.
Most people need about seven hours of sleep to function properly throughout the day, but this isn’t always the case. It’s best to consider seven hours to be the minimum. It’s not unusual to feel that nine hours of sleep is closer to the optimal amount to help you function at your best.
If you’re using sleep aids, prescription, or otherwise, it helps to know the side effects.
You may feel dizzy throughout the morning, making it feel like a slog to sort through your emails or begin the day’s chores. Seeking an alternative that doesn’t produce these side effects may help to clear away your morning fog.
Stress
Stress isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s a motivator that helps people grow and learn. Productively working through stress can uncover the source of a problem and inspire you to find a solution. It may help you perform better at work or school to be wise in your approach to stress.
Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. You need to be able to approach your stressor with the right mindset to change it. Stress causes both physical and emotional tension. Your heart rate may rise. Your back might ache, and your head might hurt.
When you don’t know how to release that pressure, you may feel compelled to go to a rage room and take a rubber mallet to a couple of old fish tanks. Before you let your stress get the better of you, pursue healthy natural alternatives for stress management.
You’re “Hangry”
If you aren’t properly nourished, your brain will feel the effects. Skipping meals is never a good idea, even if you’re busy. Intermittent fasting may not be a wise or safe choice for you if you feel like hunger is clouding your ability to be productive.
Grabbing “junk food” instead of a balanced meal may feel like a quick fix, but the chances are slim that your brain is getting everything it needs from something that comes from the drive-thru.
After all, a diet rich in folic acid, vitamin D, B vitamins, and healthy omega-3 fats is necessary for proper brain function.
You’ve Had Too Much (or Too Little) Caffeine
Caffeine is a chemical stimulant that many people rely on to help them get through the day. Caffeine isn’t always bad, especially if it's ingested in modest amounts.
If you need a cup or two early in the day and your doctor approves of your habit, you can drink your coffee or matcha to help give yourself a kickstart. Just be careful with your consumption.
Overconsumption of caffeine can make your body reliant on caffeine for energy. You may feel a caffeine crash, leaving you more tired than you were to begin with and unable to concentrate on the task at hand. Try reducing your caffeine consumption if you experience afternoon lows in your energy levels or if you have trouble sleeping at night.
How CBD Can Help Promote a Calm State of Mind and Improve Clarity
CBD can’t address dietary imbalances or control your caffeine intake, but it can become an agent of positive change in other ways. Adding CBD to your morning ritual and bedtime ritual can work to promote mental clarity and better sleep in conjunction with other healthy habits.
CBD Can Help To Promote Restful Sleep
CBD is not a sedative. It isn’t something that will inherently make you feel tired when you use it. Research suggests that CBD can help to promote relaxation.
Relaxation is a necessary part of sleeping. If you’re having trouble getting relaxed, you’ll wind up pushing your bedtime later and later until your mind and body are both ready to drift off.
CBD Can Ease Feelings of Tension
Many people who use CBD report that they feel a sense of calmness. Reducing emotional tension can also reduce some types of physical strain. If your mind is stressed, you may be carrying tension in your muscles.
It’s very hard to concentrate or stay focused when you’re emotionally and physically uncomfortable. CBD can help to ease that tension when you need to set it aside and dedicate yourself to achieving your goals.
Making CBD Part of Your Wellness Ritual
Eat a balanced diet, drink water, and get a sufficient amount of exercise. It sounds cliche, but every single human needs to be hydrated and nourished. We all need movement to keep our minds and bodies healthy.
Create a bedtime ritual that you love. Pamper yourself for half an hour every night. Drink a cup of soothing herbal tea, turn off your screen, and spend some time lost in a good book. Do whatever you need to do to feel calm, and add a few drops of CBD into the mix.
You should also address the sources of stress in your life. It may be time to find a career that values you and respects your worth. You might need better coping strategies, such as talk therapy or journaling when you feel wound up. CBD can work in conjunction with positive life changes and mental wellbeing practices to help you improve the way you think and feel.
All-Natural CBD Without the THC
Peels is pure, safe, lab-tested, natural CBD derived from orange peels. Because our CBD doesn’t come from a hemp plant, it doesn’t contain any THC. It’s all beneficial and has no psychoactive side effects.
Add Peels to your wellness ritual and squeeze the most out of every day.
Sources:
Cannabinoids and Pain: New Insights From Old Molecules | Frontiers in Pharmacology
Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management & Prevention | Cleveland Clinic