CBD Oil for Panic Attacks and Inner Restlessness

Inner restlessness has a useful protective function for our body. It signals danger to our body and helps the body prepare for flight or fight in stressful situations. Despite this useful function, it is advisable in the long term to avoid this stress. Through the limbic system, the body perceives sensory impressions: sight, smell, taste, and hearing. These impressions are processed in the amygdala. If the amygdala detects danger, it puts the body into a state of stress. Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released, and the classic consequences of an attack occur:

• Pulse and blood pressure rise
• Breathing becomes shallower and faster
• Muscles tense up
• Digestion is halted and hunger is suppressed
• Pupils dilate
• The body feels nervous and restless

Fear thus has the important task of warning us of dangers to protect our survival. In anxiety disorders, however, a misinterpretation by the amygdala occurs, whereby everyday situations are mistakenly perceived as dangerous. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses, and around 264 million people suffer from their consequences. Many affected individuals do not seek medical attention out of shame, which means the actual number could be significantly higher.

Patients with anxiety disorders are usually treated with antidepressants and tranquilizers containing synthetic active ingredients. Antidepressants are intended to improve the availability of various neurotransmitters in the brain that are supposed to regulate the imbalance of certain substances (e.g., dopamine).

However, the antidepressants used for anxiety and depression have numerous side effects. More than half of patients treated with antidepressants report headaches, inner restlessness, circulatory problems, and sexual dysfunction. These medications can also be addictive, and many affected individuals suffer from withdrawal symptoms after discontinuation.

More and more patients are using the herbal active ingredient CBD to treat anxiety disorders and inner restlessness. Cannabidiol can act on and positively influence our body's endocannabinoid system.

According to research reports, our emotional state is regulated in the endocannabinoid system. The release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, could be reduced by taking CBD, thereby calming the body and mind. CBD can also stimulate serotonin receptors, thus increasing serotonin levels.

CBD oil can help reduce anxiety and restlessness¹. This means that CBD products can help the body return to a healthy balance. Most consumers opt for CBD oils with 5% or 10% CBD content.

Anxiety can manifest differently in each person, so no blanket recommendation for a suitable concentration can be given. However, many users with this condition often tend to use CBD oils with a cannabidiol content of 10%. By vaporizing CBD products, the active ingredient can be absorbed even more efficiently by the body.

In Germany, more and more people are affected by problems falling asleep or staying asleep. According to a 2016 study by the Iges Institute for DAK, eight out of ten respondents reported having sleep problems.

The causes of sleep problems are numerous, ranging from external factors, such as a noisy environment, to physical ailments, and psychological conditions that can make it difficult to fall asleep. Sleep disorders can also often be triggered by everyday stress, which negatively affects the quality and thus the recuperation of sleep.

To cope with everyday life, every second person affected by sleep disorders uses over-the-counter medication as a sleep aid. One in four uses these for longer than three years. However, it is well known that regular intake of medication is neither healthy nor harmless.

As with medications for anxiety disorders, most preparations quickly lead to dependency and also develop a habituation effect. Apart from that, they are mostly produced on a chemical basis, which can quickly lead to side effects. To reduce or even completely stop the intake of conventional medications to improve sleep behavior, CBD offers a natural alternative that carries no risk of addiction or habituation.²

Due to the relaxing and calming effect of CBD, it can be a great help with sleep problems. Apart from more calm and relaxation, users report an anxiety-relieving effect. Anxiety disorders and sleep problems often go hand in hand, as sleep problems are often caused by psychologically induced anxiety states.

This makes CBD the perfect product to treat these various symptoms. The pain-relieving effect of CBD can also be very helpful in this context, as sleep problems are often associated with (chronic) pain.

In general, it can be said that CBD has similar effects to conventional sleeping pills and can have antispasmodic, relaxing, anxiolytic and pain-inhibiting effects, but sleeping pills pose a great risk of dependency. In addition, sleeping pills cause confusion in the brain as they simulate an artificial state of sleep. This state causes the brain to no longer work as usual.

Due to habituation to regular intake, the body no longer produces its own neurotransmitters, which disturbs the deep sleep phases (REM) that are responsible for our sleep recovery. Thus, the body cannot use the rest to recharge energy, and one is just as unrested the next morning as with little sleep and without sleeping pills.

Cannabidiol, on the other hand, also has the advantage here that it cannot lead to dependency. The effect of CBD is due to substances that the body also produces itself, so-called cannabinoids. Since CBD full-spectrum oils are natural products, they are not unhealthy like conventional "chemical" sleeping pills.

The use of CBD before going to bed can therefore alleviate pain that prevents sleep, as well as inner restlessness that robs one of sleep, and thereby relieve anxiety. Thus, CBD calms body and mind and promotes falling asleep and staying asleep. This can lead to healthy sleep that provides energy for the day.²