Compare the Best CBD Oil for Stress in 2021

Benefits of CBD for Stress

Stress is the body’s natural reaction when changes occur⁽¹⁾. When you are faced with danger, stress signals the body to prepare to face a threat or flee for safety.

As a result, your pulse quickens, breathing becomes faster, muscles become tense, and the brain uses more oxygen and increases survival activity.

Meanwhile, in non-life-threatening situations, stress can motivate you, such as when taking tests or undergoing job interviews.

However, prolonged, unchecked, and unmanaged stress may be detrimental to your health⁽²⁾. It can contribute to various medical conditions, like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

CBD for Stress

Cannabidiol (CBD), a phytocompound found in cannabis plants, is becoming known for its potential therapeutic benefits in various health issues. A 2018 study of cannabidiol users from Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research showed that CBD may have health benefits that may help with pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders⁽³⁾.

A 2019 study from The Permanente Journal measured sleep and anxiety scores in 72 adults⁽⁴⁾. Results revealed that CBD may hold benefits for anxiety-related disorders.

According to a 2015 review, animal studies showed that CBD may reduce anxiety behaviors linked to multiple disorders⁽⁵⁾. These include panic disorder (PD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The review also noted that these findings were backed by human experimental results, which suggested CBD’s minimal sedative effects and excellent safety profile.

Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) is non-addictive and does not make users feel high⁽⁶⁾. This characteristic makes CBD a viable option for individuals dealing with anxiety.

A 2018 study from the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry investigated the acute effects of different CBD doses and placebo in healthy volunteers performing a simulated public speaking test⁽⁷⁾. Results showed that 300 to 600mg of CBD significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in 57 adult males.

Another study published in Neuropsychopharmacology examined CBD’s effects on anxiety induced by simulated public speaking⁽⁸⁾. Results revealed that CBD may significantly reduce anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in people with social anxiety disorders. 

A 2019 study also examined the effects of repeated cannabidiol treatment in teenagers with social anxiety disorders⁽⁹⁾. Results indicated that CBD may be a useful option to treat social anxiety.

CBD for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Approximately 3.5% of adults in the United States (US) get PTSD every year, while 1 in 11 people may be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime⁽¹⁰⁾.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that may occur in individuals who have experienced traumatic events, such as a natural disaster, a severe injury, a terrorist act, war or combat, or sexual violence. 

CBD may have therapeutic benefits for PTSD. A review of various animal studies showed that cannabidiol may facilitate the extinction of aversive memories and block their reconsolidation⁽¹¹⁾. Researchers linked these effects to CBD’s interaction with the endocannabinoid system.

The ECS regulates biological functions, including mood and pain perception⁽¹²⁾.

A 2013 study provided the first evidence that CBD may enhance extinction learning consolidation in humans⁽¹³⁾. Extinction learning is defined as the gradual decrease in response to a conditioned stimulus, frequently linked to PTSD therapy.

The participants received 32mg of CBD, and results showed successful conditioning, extinction, and recall in the subjects.

Consistent with animal studies’ findings, these results indicated that CBD may be beneficial when used alongside exposure therapy. This type of treatment is a psychological approach developed to help individuals face their fears.

Moreover, a 2019 case study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine examined the effects of oral CBD administration on the symptoms of PTSD in 11 adult patients at an outpatient psychiatry clinic⁽¹⁴⁾. Results showed that CBD may decrease PTSD-related symptoms.

How CBD Helps With Stress

CBD’s potential benefits for stress, anxiety, depression, and other medical conditions may be attributed to the compound’s interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). 

The ECS is a complex system that maintains homeostasis or balance in different biological functions⁽¹⁵⁾. These include mood, pain perception, and immune response.

The ECS also consists of two main types of cannabinoid receptors: CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors. Located on cells throughout the body, both receptors interact with cannabinoids or natural compounds in the body.

CB1 receptors can be found in the brain and central nervous system, liver, lungs, and kidney⁽¹⁶⁾. They regulate bodily functions, such as memory processing, appetite, pain sensation, mood, and sleep.

Meanwhile, CB2 receptors lie in cells within the immune system and its associated structures⁽¹⁷⁾. Once activated, these receptors stimulate a response that helps fight inflammation.

Research also showed that CBD may produce anxiolytic effects by indirectly activating other receptors, like 5-HT1A serotonin receptors⁽¹⁸⁾.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that results in feelings of wellness and happiness⁽¹⁹⁾. 

A 2005 study also indicated that cannabidiol may inhibit serotonin’s reuptake in the brain, making serotonin more available for the body⁽²⁰⁾. With better regulation of serotonin, CBD may help stabilize mood and reduce anxiety.

How Soon Can CBD’s Effects Be Felt?

CBD’s potential benefits for stress may be felt immediately or delayed depending on several factors. These include the CBD administration method, your body weight, metabolism, the CBD potency, and product quality.

CBD oil tinctures facilitate direct absorption of CBD into the bloodstream⁽²¹⁾. Effects may be evident within 15 to 45 minutes.

CBD oil vapes also allow CBD to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Effects may be felt within 20 minutes.

Moreover, you can easily take CBD edibles for stress. However, unlike tinctures and vapes, CBD edibles may take longer to work as CBD needs to pass through the digestive system. 

The effects of CBD edibles, like gummies, may kick in within 30 to 60 minutes⁽²²⁾.

The duration of CBD’s potential therapeutic effects for stress may depend on the form of CBD used.

While CBD tinctures may provide immediate relief, effects may last for four to six hours only. 

Meanwhile, CBD edibles’ effects may last for over six hours⁽²³⁾. For CBD vapes, results may last for 30 minutes to two hours at most.

Other factors, like CBD dosage, metabolism, the frequency of use, and product quality, affect how long CBD may help with stress.

Possible Side effects of Using CBD for Stress

Despite CBD’s potential therapeutic benefits, the compound may also induce some side effects. According to Mayo Clinic, these include⁽²⁴⁾:

• Diarrhea
• Dry mouth
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Tiredness
• Reduced appetite
• Changes in weight

CBD may also interact with other drugs, like blood thinners. 

According to a 2011 review, other side effects of CBD include the decreased activities of p-glycoprotein and other drug transporters, inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism, and reduced fertilization capacity⁽²⁵⁾.

You must consult a healthcare professional knowledgeable about CBD use for proper guidance.

How to Choose the Best CBD for Stress

You can buy various forms of CBD for stress, including CBD tinctures, edibles, capsules, and vapes. However, to pick the best CBD oil products for stress, you must observe the following steps:

1. To ensure proper CBD use, consult healthcare professionals, especially when purchasing CBD products for the first time or taking other medications.
2. Check whether the CBD product uses non-GMO, organic hemp. CBD brands, like CBDistillery, Nuleaf Naturals, and Charlotte’s Web, use GMO-free hemp plants grown from Colorado.
3. Choose quality products that use CO2 extraction methods to maximize the benefits of hemp extracts.
4. Verify whether the product undergoes third-party lab testing. The certificate of analysis (COA), often available on the brand’s website, should show the product’s actual CBD content and the absence of pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, and other harmful contaminants.
5. Compare product label claims with the COA. Third-party lab results of high-quality products with great value for money show accurate or higher CBD content than their product label claims.
6. Select CBD brands with certifications, memberships to hemp organizations, or accreditation from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The highest quality CBD companies often meet these criteria as they demonstrate strict compliance with industry standards, transparency, excellent customer service, and ethical business practices.
7. Research on state laws regarding cannabis use to legally buy CBD products for stress online or from different CBD retail stores. Most stores have an age requirement of 18 or 21 years old.
8. Pick CBD brands that do not have unsupported health claims, provide disclaimers on their websites, and offer a full money-back guarantee.
9. Know the difference between full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD, and CBD isolates.

Full-spectrum hemp extracts have a complete range of phytocannabinoids or naturally occurring compounds in cannabis plants, including CBD, THC, terpenes, flavonoids, fatty acids, essential oils, and other minerals.

Terpenes provide cannabis plants’ unique aroma, while flavonoids provide vivid colors to most plants.

These compounds produce the entourage effect, which implies that they provide more benefits when combined than when they are used as isolated elements⁽²⁶⁾. Thus, full-spectrum CBD oil suits users who want to maximize all the cannabis compounds’ benefits.

Meanwhile, broad-spectrum CBD also contains all compounds in cannabis plants, except THC. Consumers who want THC-free products may use broad-spectrum CBD and CBD isolates.

CBD isolates are pure CBD extracted in isolation from all other compounds. These CBD products allow you to maximize the benefits of CBD.

How to Use CBD for Stress

With the growing research on CBD’s potential health benefits for various medical conditions, CBD attracts several consumers. Thus, the CBD industry produces different types of CBD oil products to match each user’s needs and preferences.

Common CBD products for stress include CBD tinctures, CBD capsules, CBD edibles, CBD topicals, and CBD vapes.

CBD Tinctures

CBD tincture is the most common CBD product format. It usually has carrier oils, like medium-chain triglyceride or MCT oil, peppermint oil, and hemp oil.

You can conveniently apply CBD tinctures sublingually or directly under the tongue to allow faster absorption of CBD directly into the bloodstream⁽²⁷⁾.

Moreover, you can let the desired quantity of drops stay under your tongue for 60 to 120 seconds before swallowing⁽²⁸⁾. CBD tinctures’ effects may be experienced within 15 to 45 minutes.

CBD tinctures are also arguably the best delivery method for self-titration because you can adjust on a drop-by-drop or milligram-by-milligram basis if needed⁽²⁹⁾.

Reliable CBD tinctures have labeled droppers for exact dosing. However, it helps to know that the standard dropper size is 1 milliliter, and there are about 20 drops in 1 dropper/milliliter⁽³⁰⁾.

Generally, the effects of CBD tinctures may last for four to six hours. Still, results depend on different factors, like the CBD administration method, your body weight, metabolism, and the CBD potency.

One drawback of CBD tinctures is their unpleasant, earthy taste. Fortunately, other CBD brands offer CBD tinctures in different flavors. However, be cautious of artificial flavors or additives.

You can also add CBD tinctures to your food, smoothie, or coffee.

Furthermore, CBD tinctures may be used with CBD lotions and creams and applied transdermally for site-specific pain relief.

An animal study showed that CBD topicals may reduce inflammation and arthritis-pain related symptoms without evident side effects⁽³¹⁾.

CBD Capsules

Another convenient way to take CBD oil for stress is through CBD capsules. However, CBD capsules may take longer to work than oral CBD drops as they have to pass through the digestive system⁽³²⁾.

Moreover, dosing is tricky because of the delayed onset of effect (one to two hours), unknown effects of stomach acids, recent meals, and other factors⁽³³⁾.

Thus, CBD capsules may not be suitable for those needing immediate relief from stress and related symptoms.

CBD Edibles

Those who do not want the earthy, grassy taste of pure CBD hemp extract can take CBD edibles for stress, like CBD gummies and CBD chocolate bars. Several CBD brands offer these CBD edibles in various flavors.

CBD gummies and CBD chocolate bars suit those who find it hard to swallow pills and prefer a discreet way to take CBD for stress. However, CBD edibles may take 30 to 60 minutes to work⁽³⁴⁾. CBD must be digested first before entering into the bloodstream, where it interacts with the endocannabinoid system.

You should seek professional help first before taking CBD products for stress to ensure safety.

CBD Topicals

You can also apply topical CBD products for stress, like CBD creams, CBD lotions, CBD salves, and CBD bath bombs.

As CBD topicals are absorbed into the skin’s surface, you may apply a more significant amount of CBD to your skin. However, start at low doses to observe how your skin reacts to CBD.

Once you see positive changes after several days of use, you may gradually increase the dosage.

Effects of topical CBD products may be felt after an hour or two and may last for six hours or even several days.

However, results may vary based on the CBD administration method, your body weight, metabolism, CBD potency, and product quality.

You can also check the product labels or the brand’s official website to see whether products use nanotechnology, encapsulation, or CBD micellization.

These terms indicate that the product’s solution can carry CBD through the dermal layers instead of staying on the skin’s surface.

According to research from the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, nanotechnology may help increase drug bioavailability, permit a site-specific targeted delivery, and reduce toxic side effects⁽³⁵⁾.

Still, it is best to consult a healthcare provider knowledgeable about CBD to determine the right dosage based on your needs and preferences.

CBD Vapes

CBD oil vapes may also provide fast results as CBD enters the bloodstream through the lungs without going through the digestive system.

However, effects may last for 30 minutes to an hour or two only. It is also hard to determine precisely how much CBD is in each draw.

While CBD oil vape products often indicate the CBD amount per inhale, the amount may vary per person.

Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other state and local health departments have conducted investigations regarding a national outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI)⁽³⁶⁾.

As of February 2020, there were 2,807 hospitalized EVALI reported cases or deaths. Thus, the CDC and FDA do not recommend the use of vapes.

CBD Dosage for Stress

Current evidence shows that a CBD dosage of up to 1,500 mg/day is well tolerated in humans⁽³⁷⁾.

However, the only FDA-approved CBD product is Epidiolex, which is used to treat rare cases of epilepsy in children⁽³⁸⁾. The drug’s recommended starting dosage is 2.5mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight, taken twice daily. 

After a week, users can increase the dosage to 5mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight maintenance dosage, taken twice daily⁽³⁹⁾. Other than this, there is no official recommended CBD dosage for stress.

However, the general rule is to start low and slow. You can begin taking at least 5 mg of CBD and increase the dosage once you achieve your desired results.

You should also consult a healthcare professional knowledgeable about CBD use to determine the right CBD dosage based on your needs and preferences.

Legality of CBD

Due to the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp-derived CBD products containing 0.3% or less THC became legal at the federal level⁽⁴⁰⁾.

Tetrahydrocannabinol is a psychoactive compound in cannabis plants that produces a euphoric feeling among users. While hemp-derived CBD products are no longer under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), marijuana remains a Schedule 1 controlled drug⁽⁴¹⁾.

Schedule 1 drugs refer to substances that are not allowed for medical use and have a high potential for abuse⁽⁴²⁾.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, marijuana has a high risk of abuse because of THC’s psychoactive effects⁽⁴³⁾. The 2018 Farm Bill also preserves the FDA’s right to regulate products with cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.

According to the FDA, products with CBD or THC should not be sold legally as dietary supplements⁽⁴⁴⁾. Currently, the agency has approved one cannabis-derived drug product: Epidiolex (cannabidiol), and three synthetic cannabis-related drug products: Marinol (dronabinol), Syndros (dronabinol), and Cesamet (nabilone) only⁽⁴⁵⁾.

Epidiolex is a purified form of CBD derived from cannabis. The product is approved to help treat seizures linked to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two rare cases of epilepsy in children.

Meanwhile, Marinol and Syndros are approved to treat anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Cesamet is approved for the alleviation of nausea linked to cancer chemotherapy.

As these are the only FDA-approved cannabis products, consumers should research state laws and purchase CBD in areas that allow recreational use or medical use of marijuana.