How does CBD Oil work for depression?
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that around 16 million adults in the United States suffer from depression. Not only is depression increasingly common, but it is estimated that nearly 7% of all adults in the US suffered from at least one major depressive episode last year. If you or anyone close to you is currently battling depression, CBD oil might be an option to consider.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol, most commonly known as CBD oil, is a popular and widely used natural remedy for depression. This oil is a concentrated liquid extract derived from Cannabis Sativa. Unlike THC, CBD oil is not psychoactive and won’t cause you a similar sensation of feeling high.
CBD has a natural ability to bind with receptor sites in our body (like the brain and the immune system). CBD oil works to restore your body by influencing the activity controlled by receptor sites and is best known for its utility in pain management, psychosis, muscle spasms, neurodegenerative disorders and – yes, you guessed it – depression.
What is Depression?
Every one of us has gone through about or period of sadness for one reason or another. Be it the loss of a loved one, financial setbacks or even seasonal affective disorder, the feeling of sadness has not escaped any of us. However, this feeling of sadness felt on occasion is not depression.
Depression is best defined as a prolonged period of depressed mood or loss of interest in activities that were once cherished and enjoyed. While depression can also be something you were born with (a predisposed condition), it can also be brought on by physical or mental trauma or stress, among others.
Human neurochemistry, especially neurotransmitters, plays a vital role when it comes to depression and it is commonly debated that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. However, according to Psychology Today, by labeling depression as a simple chemical imbalance, it wildly misconstrues the disorder.
Two neurotransmitters most affected during depression are serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin is often referred to as the ‘Happy Molecule,’ and it regulates mood, appetite, social behavior, sleep, and memory. Dopamine is your ‘motivation molecule’ that is responsible for regulating your brain’s pleasure-reward center.
This is why symptoms of depression often include sleep problems, concentration problems, loss of appetite or eating disorders, negative self-image and thoughts of suicide and death. While there are many effective therapies and treatment options for depression, more and more people suffering from depression have been turning to CBD oil and including in their fight against depression.
CBD Oil and Depression
First things first, CBD oil may not cure depression.
However, studies show that CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system (a collection of cell receptors and similar molecules) that helps to regulate essential bodily functions such as mood, sleep, appetite, pleasure, and pain among other things.
CBD oil has been known to have powerful anti-anxiety properties and is known to reduce levels of depression. This occurs due to the enhancement of serotonergic and glutamate cortical signaling in the body by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system.
According to research, CBD oil causes receptor 5-HT1A (responsible for the release of serotonin) to function more effectively. In short, your body’s serotonin production increases and its presence in your body will stabilize over a period.
Since serotonin impacts emotions, mood, and motor skills and is a mood stabilizer, its effective functioning leads to a more normalized sleep, mood, and appetite. This helps in combatting the unpleasant effects of depression.
The brain’s limbic system is a system of nerves and networks in your brain that control emotions (fear, anger, pain, pleasure, and anger) and your basic drives (sex, hunger, protecting young ones, and so on). When a person suffers from depression or anxiety, the hippocampus becomes smaller, affecting the function of the entire limbic system.
Cannabidiol helps in stimulating neurogenesis if the limbic system that allows the brain to create new neurons. This means that the results of using CBD oil to treat depression produce a similar effect to antidepressants including Paxil and Zoloft. Several effective CBD oil brands have been mentioned by cbdforsure that can help in producing relatively better results.
However, unlike prescription medicines, the side effects of using CBD oil are far less severe.
How to Use CBD Oil for Depression
Incorporating CBD oil and related products into your depression treatment plan is a fairly simple process.
You can easily ingest CBD oil by either dropping it directly on your tongue or placing it underneath your tongue. Ingesting it by putting the CBD oil under the tongue is the fastest way to get the oil into your system, causing you relief in a matter of minutes.
There are a variety of options available including capsules, edibles and even vaporizing the CBD oil. You can vaporize CBD oil if you have the appropriate vaporizer and a carrying agent. However, vaporized CBD won’t have the same duration as ingested CBD.