I heard somewhere that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying.
This never made sense to me because I always liked public speaking. I am scared of plenty of things but public speaking isn’t one of them.
Giving a speech, especially on a topic I am passionate about, really charges me up.
I realize I am an exception. Most people do not like public speaking.
And like it or not, you will have to give a speech at some point be it for a college class, a presentation at work, or your best friend’s wedding.
You are going to have to speak publicly!
Before you freak out, we may have a little tool to help make your public speaking experience a little easier.
Enter CBD.
Specifically CBD oil for anxiety.
CBD Oil for Anxiety
Researchers have been studying the anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects of CBD for many years now.
Researchers are super interested in CBD because it doesn’t seem to have any negative side effects, even at really high doses!
CBD (cannabidiol) is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants. It doesn’t get you high. That’s THC’s job.
A lot of people like to smoke high percentage THC containing marijuana because the high it brings calms them down.
They like getting high because it helps them relax.
If THC works for you, we are all for that!
But if you are like me, the THC in marijuana actually makes your more anxious.
THC doesn’t calm me down, it makes my mind race too much. It makes my thoughts over active and unorganized.
That’s why I don’t use marijuana very much anymore.
Researchers first became interested in using CBD for anxiety when they noticed that CBD was decreasing the high brought on by THC.
The researchers thought: “Hmmm…if CBD kills the psychoactive effects of THC, maybe CBD could kill the anxious thoughts and increased psychoactivity of people suffering from anxiety!”
Logical, for sure.
And definitely worth studying, especially because CBD has far fewer negative side effects than most of the commonly used anti-anxiety medications prescribed by doctors.
This is what the researchers did:
Volunteers for the study were told to prepare a 4 minute speech on a topic from a course they had taken that year.
They were told the speech would be filmed for later analysis by a psychologist.
Each volunteer gave the speech while viewing themselves on a video monitor.
Their anxiety levels were measured using something called the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS).
The VAMS test measures anxiety, physical sensation, mental sedation, and feelings of interest.
These factors were tested at five distinct time points: baseline (before the start of the speech), right before instructions were given, right before giving the speech, in the middle of the speech, and right after the speech.
Researchers also measured the heart rate and blood pressure of the volunteers.
The volunteers were randomly given one of four drugs: 300 mg of CBD, 5 mg of isapirone (research chemical for depression/anxiety), 10 mg of diazepam (Valium), or a placebo.
The results were fantastic in showing how good CBD can be for anxiety!
Volunteers who received CBD, diazepam (Valium), and isapirone all showed a decrease in anxiety and systolic blood pressure.
Volunteers who got the diazepam (Valium) experienced feeling physical sedation.
Volunteers who got CBD and isapirone did not experience physical sedation, mental sedation, or other negative side effects.
The study confirmed that CBD can be an effective way to manage anxiety without negative side effects.
What would you rather take: Valium (could make you foggy or sleepy and requires a perscription), isapirone (I don’t even know if you could easily get your hands on this one…plus it’s hard to pronounce!), or CBD (an all natural, over the counter plant medicine which has been used since before Christ’s time)?
I know which one I would pick.
I would always rather go with a plant based medicine over a synthetic chemical with negative side effects.
All the good, without the bad
If you’re like most people and you get anxious about public speaking, give CBD a try.
It may just be the best tool in your kit for delivering some kick ass presentations.
The volunteers who participated in the study were given a 300 mg oral dose of CBD.
While CBD has been proven to be safe in very high doses, that’s still a much bigger dose than we would recommend you take.
At least don’t start with a dose that high.
We always recommend that you start low and work your way up.
No matter what kind of dose you take, make sure you get your CBD from a quality source.
Go with a full plant extract made from the high resin flowers of a hemp plant grown specifically for CBD extraction.
That way you won’t be getting just the CBD, you’ll get all the other beneficial cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes contained in a full plant extract of CBD hemp oil.