How can CBD help overcome the January blues?

If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through January AKA the most depressing and anxious month of the year!

It’s cold, dark, financially challenging, and the prime time for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)  to develop. A mood that feels just like the acronym sounds, and often accompanied by increased levels of anxiety. A compound that can help alleviate these often hard to control feelings is Cannabidiol (CBD).

What is SAD and how can CBD help?

It has a lot to do with the nervous system, serotonin, and the endocannabinoid system.

Imagine the nervous system is a network of roads, serotonin is the car needing to get from A to B, the feelings of SAD are the negative roadworks, and CBD is the navigation system helping the car get around the congestion caused by the roadworks. 

SAD is caused by low levels of serotonin, a hormone that is produced throughout our entire body and plays a key role in transmitting signals across our nervous system. It influences how we feel and function, and to do this well serotonin needs to be able to travel fluidly across nerve endings.

CBD is a compound found in plants that binds with our endocannabinoid system, a network of sensory receptors positioned throughout the entire body, influencing the alignment of the nervous system. The more aligned the nervous system, the more fluidly serotonin can travel across nerve synapses.

Therefore, when our serotonin levels are low, and our endocannabinoid system is unaligned our ability to manage our feelings of sadness and levels of anxiety are impacted.

Things like the sun, the intake of diverse high fibre healthy foods and a good night’s sleep can help with boosting serotonin. Simultaneously, a potent and certified safe CBD food supplement such as elénzia Pure CBD™ can help with supporting the alignment of the endocannabinoid system to support the sufficient transmission of serotonin.

The Sciency bit

Research looking into non-medical approaches to dealing with SAD and anxiety found that the CBD compound which pairs with the endocannabinoid receptors, to  show promising results in  improving serotonin transmission by strengthening the ability of serotonin to flow across signalling pathways throughout the entire body.

In a 2017 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that CBD might offer a range of therapeutic benefits for people who have anxiety disorders. In addition to potentially reducing muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue and problems with concentration, the report stated that CBD might also help improve social interactions and reduce social anxiety.

For example, one small study on people who experienced generalized social anxiety reported a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms after consuming CBD. This was demonstrated further through brain scans of the participants which showed blood flow patterns that indicated reduced anxiety.

Another study showed that people who experienced anxiety not only reported less anxiety during a simulated public speaking test, but also had lower heart rates and blood pressure after consuming CBD.

Overall, a large review of pooled studies consistently highlights CBD as a potential treatment for anxiety and low mood related issues.

Is CBD right for you?

Everyone experiences feelings of low mood from time to time. Fluctuating moods is a normal response that is essential to human survival — it motivates us and helps us deal with potential health and safety threats. However, people who experience SAD and increased anxiety more often than necessary, can find that these feelings become life-altering. For some it can get to a point where it interferes with relationships, work, and daily activities and lead to dread, worry or fear so strong that they cause people to avoid certain places and situations.

More research will help identify the long-term benefits, safety, dosing recommendations for CBD as a potential holistic remedy for SAD and anxiety. Therefore, if you or someone you know is looking for holistic support from CBD in place of — or in addition to — anxiety medications and psychotherapy to improve their quality of life, please consult a health professional first.

If you would like to know more about elénzia Pure CBD™  and wellness tips that can support your daily mental wellbeing,  check out this blog here. For everything you need to know about using CBD, we’d recommend this download provided by elénzia. 

Disclaimer: This sponsored content was written by elénzia