How Long Does CBD Oil Take to Work For Anxiety?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression affects about 280 million adults worldwide1, and in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic alone, there was a “25% increase in [the] prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.”2 These stats make these disorders two of the most prevalent mental health issues that are affecting people worldwide.

While this is very disheartening news overall, the potential good news is that there are ways to combat depression and anxiety in a natural, potentially effective manner — CBD.

I’m sure there are many questions swimming in your brain right now like is CBD truly effective at lending a hand in treating these two disorders? Along with, if taking cannabidiol oil for anxiety can assist, how long do CBD products take to work for anxiety?

This post will answer this question, along with a few CBD 101 types of questions, so continue reading.

Can CBD Oil Get You High?

READ: Does CBD Get You High?

Though CBD is a cannabinoid that comes from cannabis, which many people associate solely with THC, CBD does not have the similar phycoactive properties as Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC. CBD, along with close to 100 other cannabinoids, like CBC, CBG, and CBN, are extracted from the hemp plant and used to produce different types of CBD products

In 2018 the Farm Bill was passed that allowed people to grow hemp that can be used to make CBD products. The law only allows for CBD products to contain 0.03% THC which is not enough to produce a “high” effect.

How Does CBD Work in the Body?

READ: How Does CBD Work?

Since CBD doesn’t contain psychoactive ingredients, it doesn’t interact with the same receptors as THC — and it won’t have the same effects on your body, kind of. What we at CBD School mean by “kind of” is that CBD and THC both relax the body, it’s just that CBD doesn’t produce the high effect when it relaxes you.

When you take CBD, it enters the body and is distributed through blood via the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system contains neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors, which some think link with other receptors.

Even when CBD receptors are small, they are potent. They trigger a chemical reaction that boosts CBD effects. CBD oil shows the best results and highest potency when the cannabidiol comes from an organic hemp plant that is combined with other high-quality ingredients.

Does CBD Work for Anxiety?

While there’s no consensus on whether cannabidiol helps treat anxiety and other disorders, many studies and researchers suggest it just might for some people.3

In a 2020 study in New Zealand that partially set out to see if the people who received CBD self-reported a higher quality of life. The participants received CBD doses for different conditions, from chronic pain to mental health related symptoms. “Patients with non-cancer pain and mental-health symptoms achieved improvements to patient-reported pain and depression and anxiety symptoms.”4

The same study showed there were no major adverse effects, but rather positive side effects, including better sleep and appetite.

READ: Side Effects of Using CBD Oil Products

Other potential health benefits of CBD are the following:

CBD may assist those with insomnia issues Potentially give relief from arthritis related pain May give you relief from muscle and joint painAssists those who are feeling nauseas

How Long Does CBD Oil Take to Work for Anxiety?

Overall, people who suffer from acute anxiety may see results from CBD somewhat quicker than someone who has chronic anxiety. There are many forms of products that CBD can be found in so finding the product that resonates with you and your specific situation should be something you take some time to research.

Different CBD products deliver CBD to your system ranging from relatively quickly like vaping CBD or smoking CBD flower or a CBD cigarette to consuming CBD orally in a CBD oil tincture or CBD capsules. Roughly 90-160 minutes after consumption, experimental subjects showed improvement in anxiety.

Those who suffer from chronic anxiety need longer therapy periods, though CBD usually improved their anxiety four to eight weeks after beginning their regimen. But it also depends on other factors, such as how you consume it or the product’s quality.

Prior to taking CBD you should always consult with your doctor to ensure CBD doesn’t have a drug interaction with any current medication you may be taking.

CBD Delivery Methods

There are a few ways to consume CBD and each is absorbed into your system at a different rate:

Sublingual: This method is when you place the oil under your tongue either via a dropper or a spray. While this isn’t the quickest method, the effects last the longest. This is due to the CBD going directly into the blood stream via the capillaries under your tongue. Depending on how you respond to CBD, you may feel more relaxed within a few minutes or it could take up to an hour. Topical: While topicals are great for assiting with aches and pains, they may not do much in the way of assisting with the treatment of anxiety. However, if part of your anxiety is due to stresses in the body, you may find some relief from utilizing CBD topicals on the skin. Depending on your symptoms you may find some relief within a half hour. Inhaling: It’s the quickest way to get CBD to work as you may notice its effect after 15 minutes. This is obviously one of the more controversial ways to consume CBD as your lungs are effected when you smoke or vape anything. Another downside is that the effect doesn’t last as long as sublingual.Edible: Eating gummies, chocolate or candy is one of the more enjoyable ways for someone to get CBD into their system. This method, however, takes a bit longer for someone to feel the effects, about one to two hours for some.

CBD Product Quality

Potency

Low-quality CBD are less potent than high-quality CBD. When looking for a CBD brand or product try to find one that uses organically grown hemp, along with ingredients that are organic. If a brand goes through the process of using organic and high-quality ingredients, the chances are more likely that the finished product will be of higher-quality. Also, the more potent your CBD product is, the chances are that you will need less product to feel the effects you are searching for.

Packaging Degradation

Check your CBD expiration date and ensure that you keep the CBD product in a cool, dry place. Sunlight will also degrade the active compounds of CBD.

Other Considerations

Capsules and edibles that contain fiber release CBD slower.Note that your body will absorb the compound best when combining it with fats, such as a cake. Why? Because CBD is a fat-soluble molecule.People with high-fat levels might experience CBD effects for longer periods, as CBD is stored in fat cells. But lighter people may need a lower dose.

references

1World Health Organization. (2021, September 13). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression#:~:text=Depression%20is%20a%20common%20illness,world%20have%20depression%20(1).

2World Health Organization. (2022, March 2). Covid-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide

3Blessing, E. M., Steenkamp, M. M., Manzanares, J., & Marmar, C. R. (2015). Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders. Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 12(4), 825–836. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1

4Gulbransen, G., Xu, W., & Arroll, B. (2020). Cannabidiol prescription in clinical practice: an audit on the first 400 patients in New Zealand. BJGP open, 4(1), bjgpopen20X101010. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen20X101010