Everything You Need To Know About Using CBD Oil for Depression
Many people are seeking natural alternatives to find relief from common conditions. Depression affects about one in ten American adults every year, and even more deal with other anxiety disorders like social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It’s a very common occurrence, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Many people will ultimately find satisfactory relief from the source of their depression. In the interim, people with depression want to do the best they can to feel the best they can.
This quest often leads people living with depression to CBD oil or other CBD products like capsules, tinctures, and CBD gummies. CBD oil is often touted for its mood-boosting abilities and overall wellness-enhancing properties.
Many people with depression use and love CBD products, but research is too early to definitively identify CBD as a depression remedy.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol, often abbreviated as CBD, is an active constituent of the cannabis plant, also sometimes referred to as marijuana. Most major CBD manufacturers extract their CBD from hemp plants, which are cannabis plants that contain 0.3% or less THC by dry weight.
Cannabidiol is one of over 100 recognized cannabinoids. Each cannabinoid has different properties and effects, and certain full-spectrum CBD oils will also make use of other cannabinoids and ingredients like terpenes to different effects. That said, on its own, cannabidiol’s effects aren’t psychoactive, meaning they don’t get the user high.
High-quality CBD is considered safe for most people to use, with concentrations as high as 1,500 mg of CBD daily. Most people use a small fraction of that amount. CBD doesn’t have any known side effects, it is not possible to overdose on CBD, and there is no risk of CBD dependency.
At this point, there is a vast spectrum of CBD products available, including many for which taste was a factor. You may find products that come in flavors like citrus, berry, and even mint.
CBD is commonly used as a nutraceutical. Nutraceuticals (similar to adaptogens) are plants with beneficial properties outside of their nutrition facts. CBD is often used as a supplement to promote overall wellness and has been demonstrated to positively impact the way people feel both mentally and physically.
How Does CBD Work?
The endocannabinoid system is a massive number of receptors in the human body that span from the brain all the way down to the lower intestine. This system may play a role in regulating or assisting more than a dozen of the body’s most important functions, including mood, circadian rhythm, and the immune system.
The body produces at least two types of unique cannabinoids, sending them to the endocannabinoid system. Researchers have been unable to determine how much of each cannabinoid the body produces. They aren’t sure exactly what role these cannabinoids play in the larger picture of a healthy, functioning body.
CBD works by stimulating the same receptors that your body’s natural cannabinoids stimulate. Cannabinoids like THC latch onto receptors and change the way messages are sent, causing cognitive impairment as it imparts its effects. CBD has little binding affinity for cannabinoid receptors. It prefers to incite them and provoke the endocannabinoid system to respond naturally.
CBD’s benefits aren’t directly imparted by CBD, but by what it encourages the brain and body to do. That’s how CBD works to provide holistic wellness benefits in so many areas.
Can CBD Act as an Antidepressant?
Most studies involving CBD’s potential use as a potential antidepressant were conducted in rats, and they showed a potential positive interaction between CBD doses and the brain’s serotonin receptors. While animal studies and lab tests give researchers a good idea of how the human body would react under similar circumstances, they aren’t a perfect predictor of outcomes.
The most significant study involving cannabinoids and depression used both CBD and THC. Participants of the study experienced an average of 50% improvement in the symptoms of their depression, and the greatest outcomes were experienced with high CBD, low THC cultivars of cannabis.
This seems to correlate with the idea that CBD may play a valuable role in easing the symptoms of depression. Still, more research is needed to discern exactly how CBD works, what appropriate dosage would be, and who would be a good candidate for CBD as a treatment. This may or may not happen in the future, and as of yet, CBD is not approved by the FDA for this use.
Until then, it’s best to treat your depression according to your care professional’s plan. You can raise the idea of introducing CBD into that plan next time you speak with your care professional. Many mental health professionals are open to the idea of patients introducing helpful complementary therapies or supplements into their care routine.
What Can CBD Do To Improve the Way You Feel?
CBD is proven to deliver benefits that many people living with depression will enjoy. One study found that CBD showed significant promise in reducing anxiety, with nearly 80% of participants reporting an improvement in their symptoms. Nearly 67% of participants reported better sleep when using CBD.
Although many people with depression will experience anxious feelings or difficulty sleeping, their symptoms need not be so specific. Many people who use CBD simply report feeling better in a broad sense. For them, that’s a significant enough benefit to continue using CBD. You may feel the same way.
What Helps With Depression?
There are many different kinds of depression. Some types of depression are inherently tethered to a co-occurring condition, like chronic pain. Other types of depression are highly specific, like postpartum depression.
Some depression is a profound and long-lasting emotional reaction to a traumatic event, like the loss of a loved one. When there is no related event or direct cause, depression is sometimes referred to as an idiopathic depressive disorder.
If your care provider approves your use of CBD throughout your treatment plan, you’ll need to use it in conjunction with at least one medically accepted treatment method and proper self-care. CBD cannot replace proper treatment for mental health disorders.
Targeted Therapies
When most people think of therapy, they think of general talk therapy. This is where a patient and a mental health professional sit in a room and have a conversation. This is the simplest form of therapy, and many people find it highly effective.
There are also targeted or specific types of therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help people work through the hurdles their depression erects in their everyday lives by addressing it at the source.
Medication
The use of antidepressant medications is a hot-button issue for some people. Many people enjoy the improvements to their quality of life as a direct result of taking these medications. Other people find that the side effects are significant.
Only you and your doctor can work towards finding a valuable solution in medication. You may try several before you find the perfect fit.
If you find that medications don’t work the way you’d like them to, you can speak to your doctor about alternative therapies and solutions for side effects. Do not stop taking your antidepressants without speaking to your doctor.
Positive Lifestyle Changes
Many people with depression don’t feel that they’re worth self-love. They deserve to spend time taking care of themselves and treating their bodies right.
Things like nutritious meals, exercise, massages, pedicures, proper skincare, and stimulating hobbies or classes are necessary to help people thrive. They aren’t luxuries. They directly contribute to your overall health.
Nutritious meals help to keep the body functioning properly, as does exercise. Exercise and massage both release endorphins that create a natural state of euphoria. Pedicures and facials with massage often have the same effect.
Stimulating hobbies and classes are a rewarding way to spend time, inspiring renewed confidence and positive stimulation. These things are all part of a fully functioning wellness ritual.
How To Incorporate CBD Into a Wellness Ritual
You may notice some effects the first time you take CBD, but there’s also a chance you won’t. That’s completely normal. While CBD may impart some benefits within hours after use, it works best with continued use.
If you’re making an effort to treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated, establishing a wellness ritual is an important first step. Many people like to use their CBD when they have their morning coffee and take their multivitamins, often before engaging in joyful movement like a brisk morning walk.
Some people, particularly those who acutely feel CBD’s soothing effects, prefer to use their CBD oil at night while they’re journaling, reading, knitting, or engaging in any other soothing pre-bedtime activity. They often find it easier to relax and get a better night’s sleep when they spend a few moments of peace and quiet while enjoying a meditative act.
However you choose to incorporate CBD into your wellness ritual, Peels is here to support you. Our orange peel-derived THC-free CBD is the ideal choice for anyone who wants the benefits of CBD without the side effects of THC.
Sources:
Facts about Depression | Hope for Depression Research Foundation
A naturalistic examination of the perceived effects of cannabis on negative affect | Science Direct
Idiopathic Depressive Disorders: Basic Principles | Research Gate
Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series | National Institutes of Health