CBD has gotten a lot of attention lately, particularly among college students. College is a new and stressful time in a person’s life. With CBD’s explosion onto the US market, a lot of college students are testing the waters to see if CBD may be right for them.
How CBD Can Help You Sleep Better in College
It’s no secret that college students need more sleep these days. They’re not getting nearly enough of it in their day to day lives. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest stereotypes about college students is that they’re tired all the time. That stereotype may come from a grain of truth.
The demands of college can really take its toll on a person’s sleep cycle. Between the all-nighters and the stress of college-level classes, college students often struggle when it comes to sleep. That’s too bad, because college students absolutely need sleep.
Sleep is important for everyone, of course. In fact, it’s essential to human life. It helps people perform at their top levels, focus better, and generally function well overall. However, sleep is an especially big concern for college students. Most college students are still transitioning out of their teen years, and teens need more sleep than adults need. While most people need seven to eight hours of sleep, teens often need nine or ten. Getting enough sleep is essential for top performance in college activities from studies to extracurriculars and maintaining social connections.
Fortunately, there’s CBD oil for sleep. Lots of college students have started taking CBD oil to help them relax and get better sleep. How does CBD for sleep work? Humans have a system called the endocannabinoid system. This system happens to respond to CBD. When you take CBD oil, it bonds to those receptors in your body, helping you unwind when you need to the most.
The American Sleep Association points out a strong correlation between CBD products and better sleep, so those who take CBD oil for sleep are on the right track. Plenty of people swear by CBD oil as a sleep aid. The CBD oil appears to work in two different ways to help the brain get some more sleep.
First of all, it decreases anxiety, a problem that often contributes to insomnia. (See the paragraphs below for more information on CBD for anxiety.) When college students and toss and turn all night because they’re thinking about projects and presentations, they won’t get the sound, restorative sleep that they need. When CBD reduces anxiety, it relieves those racing thoughts, allowing college students to settle down and get the sleep that they need.
Second, CBD also appears to reduce the insomnia symptoms themselves on a more direct level. Several fairly recent studies involved providing CBD oil to insomnia sufferers. So far, the research shows that CBD provides relief. For those who have a hard time relaxing or settling their minds before bed, CBD oil for sleep can provide a natural calming remedy. When college students go from getting not enough sleep to getting a full eight or nine hours every night, they can notice a big difference in their academic and social lives.
Table of Contents
- How CBD Can Help You Sleep Better in College
- How CBD Provides Natural Anxiety Relief for College Students
- How CBD Can Help Depression in College
- How CBD Provides Balanced Health for College Students
- How CBD Can Help College Athletes
How CBD Provides Natural Anxiety Relief for College Students
College students deal with a lot of anxiety. Now, when people talk about “anxiety,” they’re usually referring to one of two different things: Generalized Anxiety Disorder or situational anxiety. Anxiety is a diagnosable mental health condition that effects a lot of people.
The day to day stress of college life can trigger that anxiety and make it worse. However, situational anxiety is a major problem among college students, too. Some students may not have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but they do deal with all of the stress that comes from writing papers and doing extracurricular activities.
For example, a student may worry about an upcoming exam, and they’re anxiety over that exam may cause them to perform more poorly than they would have performed if they had been able to relax. This student may not have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, but the situational anxiety did have an impact on their life. Whether it’s a medical condition or situational stress, CBD can help college students with their anxiety in several ways.
To get a deeper look at how CBD helps with anxiety, take a look at some of the ways that college contributes to it. First of all, when you start college, you’re in an entirely new lifestyle situation. Everything is different, including your sleeping arrangements, your food options, and your day to day schedule. As exciting as these life changes can be, they also add stress to college students’ lives, and that stress can make an impact in a bad way.
Many college students are leaving home for the first time. Some are moving to new states or cities that are far away from home. The support system that they’ve gotten used to is now further away than it’s ever been. These students are moving away from their familiar lives and starting something that they’ve never done before.
There’s a lot of fear that comes from doing something new, and when you’re in college, virtually everything is new. That fear causes stress on both the mind and the body. Often, the nervous system just doesn’t know how to deal with all of this change, and as a result, college students have to deal with anxiety that they may have never dealt with before. These students need a healthy way to handle that stress before they pursue unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drugs or alcohol.
College comes with lots of other sources of stress, too. For one thing, there’s added social pressure as students have to make new friends in a new environment. They have to live with people whom they may have never met before. They have to change their entire routines and adjust to other people’s routines. Then, of course, there’s the stress from their classes. College classes are naturally more difficult than high school classes, and they come with more responsibilities and due dates.
Finding balance between classes and self care is tough for a lot of college students. When you combine all of these factors, is it any wonder why college students are so stressed out? Many college students are seeking solutions to their stress, but it’s important to make healthy choices for stress relief. Otherwise, you may just make things worse in the long run.
Now, can CBD help with all of this anxiety and stress? So far, the research says yes, and that’s why a lot of people are using CBD oil as a form of stress relief. College students may be able to find relief and balance by using CBD oils and other CBD products. All of that said, it’s important to note that researchers haven’t completely cracked the code on why exactly CBD for anxiety works so well. They know that it works, but many aren’t quite sure how it happens. There are several theories, though.
According to some sources, CBD may help strengthen serotonin signals. (Take a look at the next section for more inreformation on serotonin and mental health.) Serotonin is one of the brain’s primary “feel good” chemicals. It’s partially responsible for feelings of relaxation, wellbeing, and happiness.
Serotonin is also the precurser to melatonin, the chemical you may recognize as the one that helps people wind down before bed. That’s important, too, because good sleep is vital to healthy stress responses. Proper seratonin signals are vital for good mental health overall, and that includes handling stress. While people tend to think of serotonin in connection to depression, poort serotonin levels can sometimes contribute to anxiety, too. Thankfully, CBD does appear to help with this serotonin balance.
The National Institute of Health points out that CBD for anxiety has shown promise in helping people deal with their anxiety and stress. One of their studies shows that CBD helps relieve certain specific anxiety symptoms, including the physical symptoms such as heart palpitations.
When it comes to CBD oil for anxiety, people are seeing relief for more than just Generalized Anxiety Disorder and overall stress. CBD for anxiety reaches into more specific forms of anxiety, too. For example, some people take CBD for social anxiety.
A few studies have found that CBD produces changes in the parts of the brain that are linked to anxiety, specifically when it comes to anxiety in social situations. This can help especially when it comes to things that public presentations or networking situations.
If you only take CBD situationally, though, test out your dosages before that big presentation. This way, you can make sure that you get the timing and the dosage just right. Otherwise, you may find yourself getting a bit sleepy before your presentation.
Of course, when it comes to CBD oil for anxiety, a lot of the research is in its early stages. You may want to keep an eye out for further research. However, so far the evidence is promising. That’s why a lot of stressed-out college students use CBD supplements to help them get a more relaxed college experience. They don’t need to know why it works to know that it does work for them. You can ask your doctor whether or not CBD oil may be the right choice for your anxiety. If so, you may find that CBD makes a big difference in your college stress.
How CBD Can Help Depression in College
Depression is a complex, debilitating mental health condition that includes a lot of symptoms. Those symptoms may include persistent sadness, exhaustion, lack of motivation, emotional numbness, and much more. Some college students deal with clinical depression. Others deal with temporary depressed moods that come and go. Either way, college life can sometimes make the problem worse, and college students need healthy and sustainable ways to deal with mood changes.
Major life changes can trigger depression, and new college students are absolutely dealing with a major life change. High stress levels can also make depression worse, and as you saw above, college students deal with high-stress situations all the time.
So, should you try CBD for anxiety and depression? You and your doctor can figure out the answer together, but again, the research looks promising. Remember the discussion on serotonin from earlier? Evidence suggests that depression is linked to low levels of serotonin. Remember that serotonin is partially responsible for feelings of happiness. It’s linked to general wellbeing, positive social functioning, good sleep, and more things that contribute to an overall positive life. If a person doesn’t have enough of this “happy chemical,” then of course they’ll feel depressed and anxious.
As a matter of fact, the most common antidepressent medications work by keeping the brain’s serotonin supply in the normal range. When it comes to CBD for anxiety and depression, CBD’s impact on serotonin can decrease feelings of depression. Now, if you plan to take CBD oil for depression and anxiety, talk to your doctor, especially if you’re already on an SSRI antidepressant. Having too much serotonin in your body can lead to a serious medical condition called Serotonin Syndrome.
Are there other reasons for college students to take CBD oil for depression and anxiety? Yes. In addition to poor serotonin levels, oxidative stress may be another major contributer to depression. Oxidative stress is what happens when free radicals wreak havoc on the body. It causes inflammation that can lead to depression, especially when that inflammation happens in the brain.
What causes oxidative stress? A lot of things do, but one of the major sources is poor diet. Who might have a poor diet? College students. It’s not just the stereotypical “beer and energy drinks” lifestyle that contributes to oxidative stress. The average college dining hall isn’t exactly a paragon of health. Anitoxidants certainly help, but few college students can afford to eat fresh fruits and vegetables all the time.
That’s where CBD oil for depression and anxiety comes in. CBD reduces that inflammation, which can contribute to better mental health overall.CBD oil is also a quick and simple source, too. While preparing an anti-oxidant rich meal takes time that most college students just don’t have, taking a CBD supplement is an action that only takes a moment.
Now, CBD oil is certainly no replacement for an overall healthy lifestyle. However, it’s an excellent supplement for busy people and those who just want better overall mental health.
How CBD Provides Balanced Health for College Students
Speaking of better overall health, CBD can help with that, too. Again, college isn’t always the best time for health. Your physical and mental health can both suffer from the college lifestyle. First of all, stress contributes to poor health, and as you’ve already seen, stress is a big part of college life. Poor nutrition, of course, leads to poor health, and a lot of college students suffer from poor nutrition. Why? Lack of time and lack of money. The “broke college student” stereotype exists for a reason.
College students are already worried about student loans, and it’s tough to work and take classes at the same time. These students don’t often have a bunch of extra cash lying around. As a result, college students can’t always afford expensive groceries, and the unhealthiest foods are, unfortunately, often cheaper than fresh foods. A packet of noodles and some pizzas will cost far less than a bunch of fresh foods. Then, there’s the complete lack of time that college students have to take care of themselves. When one is running between classes, extracurriculars, and other activities, it’s tough to find time for nutrition, fitness, and other forms of self care. Can a CBD supplement help?
In the paragraphs above, you already saw how taking a CBD supplement can help with mental health and better sleep. How else can CBD help for overall health? Studies have shown that CBD and similar plant products (a hemp oil supplement, for example) can promote overall health and help busy college students create a healthy balance in their lives. First, CBD and hemp oil supplemnt products have been shown to treat specific health conditions.
Aside from the depression and anxiety conditions mentioned above, CBD has shown promise in treating disorders such as epilepsy, pain conditions, and even acne. CBD may also have neuroprotective properties, which means that it can protect the brain from certain diseases and disorders.
Many college students and other adults take hemp CBD as a health supplement or as an alternative to certain medications. Take pain, for example. It’s common to treat aches and pains with ibuprofen or similar medications, but these medications come with risks of bleeding and other conditions. CBD does have its own side effects, of course. Again, if you plan to take hemp CBD as a health supplement, talk to your doctor first. However, CBD side effects are often less dramatic than other medication side effects.
How CBD Can Help College Athletes
Can CBD help college athletes? Yes, for all of the same reasons listed above. CBD oil can reduce performance anxiety among college athletes, thus reducing the risk of “choking” or performing poorly due to nervousness. CBD, as shown above, can also contribute to overall health and wellness among college athletes. CBD has gained a lot of popularity across the United States. CBD also has significant benefits for pain and athletic recovery.
With so many positive results, CBD had gotten a lot of attention. College athletes are especially interested in CBD products. However, with CBD being such a new product, people have a lot of questions about it. For example, a lot of college athletes wonder if CBD is okay for them to take. Is it safe? Will it hurt their performance on the field or on the court?
Of course, the biggest question that college athletes have about CBD is this: Is CBD oil legal for college athletes? Yes, CBD oil is legal for college athletes. However, you should absolutely pay attention to what’s in the bottle.
To understand this topic, you should take a closer look at what CBD is. CBD is absolutely not the same thing as THC, the compound in marijuana that makes people feel “high.” You cannot get a high feeling from taking CBD. So, is CBD oil legal for college students? Yes, for that very reason. Can CBD trigger a positive drug result in athletes who are bound by anti-doping laws? Sometimes. That’s why you have to be very careful about what kind of CBD oil you use.
There are two major kinds of CBD oil: full-spectrum and isolate. The full-spectrum product may contain a bit of THC. It won’t be enough to get a person high, and it won’t likely inhibit performance on the job or on the field. However, it can sometimes trigger a drug test, especially if that drug test is particularly sensitive. Isolate products, on the other hand, are pure CBD. They contain no THC and therefore carry no risk of triggering a positive drug test result. When you purchase your CBD oil, make sure that you get it from a trusted source. Let your salesperson know that you are a college athlete and have to use isolates instead of full-spectrum products. They should be able to help you find the best products for your needs.
Overall, CBD is safe for college athletes. Again, however, you can work with your doctor to find out for sure whether or not CBD is safe for you to use. If you’re taking certain medications, for example, CBD oil may interfere with their performance. Furthermore, you’ll want to experiment a bit with dosages to find the one that will work best for you. Too little CBD can produce almost no impact at all. Too much CBD can make a person feel sluggish, which certainly isn’t helpful in sports. If you take CBD oil, you should start taking it before any major games.
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