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Spring Depression and CBD
Are you wondering about using CBD oil for depression and anxiety disorders?
If so, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll be diving deep into how CBD products might help with depression...particularly with seasonal depressive symptoms. If you’re suffering from spring depression, winter depression, or seasonal affective disorder, keep reading, because this article is for you!
CBD oil for depression and mental health
Seasonal Affective Disorder — which is also often referred to as SAD — is a type of depression that occurs on a seasonal basis. Generally, this will affect people from autumn and through the winter months, and this is attributed to the shorter days and the lack of sunlight.
CBD oils for depression: expert advice
Although cases of SAD are less common in spring, it can still affect people, and sometimes this can be particularly hard. Harvard psychiatrist John Sharp has extensively researched the links between our mental health and wellness and the changing seasons. For those who suffer from spring depression, this time of the year can be tough as everyone else is seemingly inspired with a fresh start and a new lease of life. If you cannot find this mindset and natural energy, you may feel counterintuitively worse.
Other experts from the world health organization have found that depression can be driven by a combination of one’s environment and their internal state. Several new studies have found that adjusting one’s inner microbiome with probiotics may be enough to alleviate depression: “lactobacilli treatment, as well as the administration of other probiotics, are beneficial in significantly lowering depression and anxiety scores in patients.”
Eating a diet rich in endocannabinoid precursors (aka healthy fats) may also be good for one’s mood. Milk, cheese, butter, red meat, and olive oil all contain the needed building blocks of your body’s endocannabinoids. You can also trigger eCB production by working out, doing yoga, or getting massage therapy. As you can see, a multifaceted approach is best when it comes to avoiding springtime depression.
Determining and pinpointing the exact cause of SAD can be tricky as it will tend to vary from person to person. However, the following three reasons are amongst the top causes and effects:
CBD oil for anxiety disorders depression: 3 things to try
Change your biological clock
Decreased sunlight, shorter days, and having to rise in the morning when it is still dark may disrupt your internal body clock which can lead to feelings of depression. Consider getting away on a sunny vacation (or driving to a nearby tanning salon) to restore your biological clock and get some much-needed vitamin D.
Normalize serotonin levels
Reduced sunlight can skew your brain’s dopamine:serotonin ratio in serotonin receptors. The ratio between these two neurotransmitters is largely responsible for your happiness, so be sure to get some extra sunlight and use natural serotonin regulators like CBD products or other prescription medications!
Disrupted melatonin levels
Changing seasons can disrupt the body’s melatonin levels, which will affect sleep patterns, quality of sleep, and overall mood. Consider using blue-blocking sunglasses at night, as this can help keep your melatonin levels in check.
There isn’t one absolute and correct way to treat SAD, people’s individual methods may range from antidepressants and vitamin D supplements to counseling and light therapy. Antidepressants are currently the most common route of treatment.
CBD oil for depression: CBD products or cannabis?
Cannabis is growing in popularity as a natural alternative treatment for SAD. For some people, medical marijuana is the ticket. However, many others are not keen on the psychoactive after-effects of consuming marijuana, but they would still like to gain the therapeutic wellness benefits — this is where best CBD oils come into play.
CBD (cannabidiol) is a natural plant extract taken from hemp (a member of the cannabis family). There are no mind-altering effects from taking CBD products, as there is a minimal to the untraceable amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
CBD oil is a popular natural alternative for those who suffer from SAD or anxiety disorders due to its ability to act as an antidepressant and regulate serotonin reuptake, without any of the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs; this link was proven in a 2018 study.[1]
Additionally, the best CBD oil is often to help improve sleep quality and combat insomnia. The natural compound has mild sedative properties, but its effect on homeostasis (the body’s hormonal and chemical balance) which helps improve sleep. Minimizing stress and anxiety disorders with CBD products is also a key factor in improving sleep, as seen in this large 2019 retrospective case series.[2]
If you’re feeling low or affected by the long winter and/or the shift into spring right now it is important to address it, instead of hoping it will just pass with time. Try natural alternatives such as CBD oil products while speaking with a trained counselor about how you’re feeling, and visiting your health practitioner.
